SALES TAX HIKE EYED BY METRO SURVEY: PROBABLE SUPPORT FOUND FOR A 0.5% INCREASE TO RELIEVE TRAFFIC CONGESTION.

Byline: Sue Doyle and Rick Orlov

Staff Writers

Faced with an overwhelmed and incomplete transportation system, the Metro agency has quietly polled Los Angeles voters on whether they would support a sales tax hike to help fund everything from building a subway to the sea to repairing pothole-ravaged roads.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority commissioned a $65,000 poll of Los Angeles County residents late last year to gauge support for a half-percent sales tax increase, although agency officials declined Wednesday to release details of the results.

One person familiar with the survey, however, said the results showed that the measure would likely garner the two-thirds voter support needed to pass.

Angelenos already pay the second-highest sales tax rate in the state at 8.25 percent, 1 percent of which goes for transit projects.

And if Metro pursues a ballot initiative to further increase the rate, at least one taxpayer watchdog group said it will likely fight it.

"The MTA really should be looking in the mirror and figuring out what they're doing with the one penny in sales tax that residents are already paying," said Kris Vosburgh, executive director of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayer Association.

"People who we talk to feel they are already paying more than enough to get the job done."

There is no consensus yet on whether to put the measure on a ballot. Metro officials had no comment on the survey and said they will release details Friday after the Metro board is briefed.

The Daily News filed a California Public Records Act request Wednesday for survey results.

1,200 questioned

Several sources familiar with the survey said Metro commissioned it in November and polled 1,200 county residents about the sales tax, tolls and other revenue-generating measures.

The poll was conducted by Fairbank, Maslin, Maullin and Associates, an opinion-research and public policy-analysis firm based in Santa Monica.

Poll results showed that if the half-percent sales tax measure goes on a ballot, it would get the two-thirds vote required to pass, according to sources.

John Fairbank, a partner in the polling firm, is expected to present the survey results today at a daylong meeting of transportation experts looking to generate up to $50 billion for countywide highway and transit projects.

A 2003 bill authored by former state Sen. Kevin Murray, D-Culver City, allows Metro to put a proposal before voters for a 0.5 percent sales tax increase -- which could be imposed for 6 1/2 years to generate $4.5 billion for transportation projects.

Los Angeles City Councilman Bill Rosendahl -- who pushed for a study in 2006 to add a half-percent to the county sales tax to increase spending on transit programs -- said all revenue streams should be considered to relieve the region's constant traffic clog.

And he said a watchdog group should be assigned to ensure that the money stays with transportation projects.

Regional approach urged

If the best solution to transportation problems is a sales tax increase, Rosendahl said, it should apply to all counties in Southern California because it's a regional problem.

"We're all in this mess together, with 20 million of us unable to move around," remarked Rosendahl, who said he was unaware of Metro's survey. "However it's packaged, it cannot stop at the border of L.A. County. It's a regional issue."

Faced with soaring gasoline and food prices, rising unemployment and a rocky housing market, some residents could find it tough to support an additional sales tax hike at this time, said Jack Kyser, chief economist for the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp.

"I think both the middle class and lower-income households are feeling extensive financial pressure," said Kyser.

"They probably would not feel too good about this because this makes getting around more expensive for them."

The largest portion of Metro's $3 billion budget -- about 67 percent -- comes from sales tax revenue, which last year generated $1.8 billion for the agency.

Two county half-percent taxes brought in $1.335 billion last year, and a state transportation sales tax fund brought about $515 million to Metro.

Passenger fares last year brought in about $278.5 million, around 9 percent of the agency's budget.

Guarantee sought

Councilman Tom LaBonge, who late last year proposed a parcel tax to pay for transit improvements, said he was open to any financial plan.

Currently, Alameda County residents pay the highest sales tax in the state at 8.75 percent, according to the State Board of Equalization.

"The main point is that we have to come up with some funding to pay for what we need to get people moving," said LaBonge.

"We can no longer afford to sit around and wait for someone to come up with a plan."

Councilwoman Wendy Greuel said she will not support any measure until there's a plan explaining how the money will be spent -- and a promise to stick to it.

Greuel is working on a transportation strategic plan encompassing the entire county.

"We have to have a plan for what those dollars are used for and a guarantee that they will be used for transportation and traffic," said Greuel.

sue.doyle(at)dailynews.com

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