Times Editorial Shows Who’s Holding up the Sales Tax in Sacramento

A Times’ editorial  lifted the curtain on some of the back room dealings endangering Metro’s sales tax proposal, hereafter referred to as Measure R, in Sacramento.  Apparently two Los Angeles County State Senators that sit on the appropriations committee, the same committee that passed on the proposal on Monday and is scheduled to vote on it again tomorrow, won’t say whether or not they will allow the proposal to move forward.

That still won’t guarantee the measure will appear, because it also has
to be approved by the Legislature. And a pair of Democratic state
senators who are on the all-important Appropriations Committee — Gil
Cedillo of Los Angeles and Jenny Oropeza of Long Beach — haven’t
indicated whether they’ll let the bill move to the Senate floor.

Tired of all the back room dealing that continues to play with our transportation future?  Long Beach’s Senator Oropeza can be reached at her office in Sacramento at (916) 651-4028.  Senator Cedillo of Los Angeles can be reached at his Sacramento office at (916) 651-4022.

Photos: Sen. Oropeza,  dgarzila/Flickr

ALSO ON STREETSBLOG

10 Hours Later, Senate Committee Tables Sales Tax Proposal

By Damien Newton |
Before it can head to the ballot this fall, Metro’s proposed half cent sales tax  measure needs to be approved by both the State Senate and the LA County Board of Supervisors.  Today,  it was widely expected that the  measure would pass the Senate  Appropriations Committee, but instead, after a 10 hour hearing that discussed […]

Senate Committee Passes Ammended Sales Tax Measure

By Damien Newton |
The Bottleneck Blog reports that the logjam holding up A.B. 2321 was broken earlier today when the Committee moved an amended motion to the Senate floor.  Because the amendments don’t change the list of funded projects, the measure won’t require a new vote by the Metro Board of Directors.  It seems Metro’s sales tax measure […]

California Legislation Watch: Weekly Update

By Melanie Curry |
Here’s Streetsblog’s weekly highlight of legislation and events related to sustainable transportation moving through the legislative process in Sacramento. Bike Racks on Buses: A.B. 2707, Ed Chau (D-Monterey Park), would allow transit agencies to install racks that can carry three bikes on the front of buses. Why does this require legislation? Current law limits the […]

Politicians Threaten High Speed Rail Ballot Proposal

By Damien Newton |
High Speed Rail in Taiwan What is it with the State Senate and not wanting to let voters have their say on transportation infrastructure? The Sacramento Bee reports that Senators from both parties and Governor Schwarzenegger cannot reach accord on how best to conduct oversight of the  proposed project, and now the legislation needed to […]