TOTAL REHAB FOR STATE ROADS? GROUP ASKS FUTURE GOVERNOR TO REVAMP FUNDING.Byline: Evan Pondel Staff Writer The president and chief executive officer of the Automobile Club of Southern California The Automobile Club of Southern California was founded December 13, 1900 in Los Angeles as one of the nation's first motor clubs dedicated to improving roads, proposing traffic laws and improvement of overall driving conditions. called on the governor-elect Friday to rehabilitate the state's crumbling roads and utilize sales tax sales tax, levy on the sale of goods or services, generally calculated as a percentage of the selling price, and sometimes called a purchase tax. It is usually collected in the form of an extra charge by the retailer, who remits the tax to the government. on gasoline for transportation needs. Instead of the proposed $1 billion in funds under Proposition 42 being pumped into the state's infrastructure, just $200 million has been used for transportation improvements this year. The remaining $800 million has been tapped for other purposes, including California's ailing health care system and education. ``But our highway system, once the envy of the nation, has fallen into disrepair,'' Auto Club President Thomas V. McKernan Jr. said Friday at a Golden State Gateway Coalition meeting in Valencia. ``And it's time It's Time was a successful political campaign run by the Australian Labor Party (ALP) under Gough Whitlam at the 1972 election in Australia. Campaigning on the perceived need for change after 23 years of conservative (Liberal Party of Australia) government, Labor put forward a to end the gridlock Gridlock A government, business or institution's inability to function at a normal level due either to complex or conflicting procedures within the administrative framework or to impending change in the business. . Mobility needs to be a top priority because if we don't do more to invest in our infrastructure, our quality of life will be paying the price.'' So popular was the promise of gridlock relief that voters overwhelmingly backed Proposition 42 on the 2002 ballot, believing the bill would ensure enough sales tax revenue to ratchet up construction spending Construction Spending An economic indicator that measures the amount of spending towards new construction. Released monthly by the U.S. Department of Commerce's Census Bureau, it looks at residential and non-residential construction in the private sector, and state and federal at on the state's roads and highways List of articles related to roads and highways around the world. International/World
But McKernan said that hasn't happened. In 2001, the state budget borrowed $238 million for other purposes, and then $1.1 billion was borrowed in 2002. With the state facing a $36 billion shortfall, $856 million has been loaned to California's general fund, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. the state's finance department. In the San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. , the final phase of the Ventura (101)/San Diego (405) freeway improvement project, which includes adding car-pool lanes along the Golden State (5) Freeway through the San Fernando and Santa Clarita valleys, is awaiting funds. The Santa Clarita-based Golden State Gateway Coalition formed in 2002 to specifically address the needs of the I-5 corridor. Victor Lindenheim, executive director of the nonprofit coalition, said the federal government is a also a crucial resource to help improve the flow of traffic. ``The more support we have, the better. The business community is especially important, though,'' he said. It costs anywhere from $250 to $5,000 to become a coalition member. Current board members include Newhall Land, Lennar Development and Pardee Construction. Many of these companies rely on the I-5 to maintain their businesses, Lindenheim said. Evan Pondel, (818) 713-3662 evan.pondel(at)dailynews.com |
|
||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion