Write Governor, Legislature to Stop Raid on Transit Funds
As Governor Schwarzenegger continues his quixotic quest to reduce the state’s Greenhouse Gases without reducing the number of cars that travel California’s car choked freeways, the newest state budget continues what is now a more than yearly tradition of robbing transit funds to help balance the out-of-control spending in other parts of the state budget.
How bad is current plan? The San Fernando Valley Transit Insider breaks it down for us.
Governor Schwarzenegger has released his budget proposal and the news is
not good for transit.While he is planning on leaving the Proposition 1B and Proposition 42
funds untouched, meaning that projects presently under construction will
receive their allocated money, $153 million is proposed to be cut from
the State Transit Assistance (STA) fund in the 2008-09 (current) fiscal
year, and $306 million in 2009-10 (the fiscal year beginning July 1,
2009).For those who have never read the “Transportation 101”
presentation (and if you haven’t, this may be a
good time to do so), the STA is the only source of state transit funding
that can be used to operate service. Everything else received by
transit agencies in California must be used for capital
projects.
If you want to make your voice heard, the Insider provides the appropriate addresses to mail leaders in Sacramento and a link to get the addresses for your local assembly and senators.
Photo: Gary S7ven/Flickr
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