Transit Advocacy

Americans are moving to areas with better transit access, but their options are limited.

John McCain may not be big on public transportation, but as mayor of a small town in Alaska, his running mate Sarah Palin secured millions in federal earmarks for rail and bus projects.

Two weeks ago, Hillary Clinton introduced a bill in the Senate to provide emergency funds for local transit agencies. Since then, the rest of the delegation from New York and New Jersey appears to have lined up behind the legislation. "We believe that Senators Schumer, Lautenberg, and Menendez support it," says Larry Hanley of the Amalgamated Transit Union, which helped to push the bill forward in both chambers of Congress (the House passed it in June). That leaves 56 votes to achieve a filibuster-proof Senate majority.  Paging Senators Feinstein and Boxer...

The Bottleneck Blog is reporting that the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors has voted to place Metro's proposed sales tax on the fall ballot with the rest of the elections.   Just to make clear that placing the measure on the ballot has to do with the millions of dollars it would cost the county to run a "separate" election, held on the same day as the presidential election, Supervisors also voted to formally oppose the sales tax measure. 

 

Earlier today, the LA County Board of Supervisors, all of whom serve on the Metro Board of Directors, voted to reject placing the Metro's proposed sales tax measure on the November 4th ballot.  The procedural vote doesn't end the battle over the sales tax and the attached project list, although it does muddy the waters.  If the State Senate approves Metro's request an election will still be held on the measure, it would just be held separately and concurrently with the presidential election, congressional election, and everything else on this fall's ballot.  Confused?  So were the Supervisors.

Had enough discussion on the proposed sales tax yet?  If not, you might want to check out the general membership meeting of the Southern California Transit Advocates this Saturday at 1 P.M.  The former Metro Board Chair, and current Board Member, will begin her presentation at 2:15 P.M. 

Here's an alternative to the "Drill Now!" mantra that doesn't involve ethanol subsidies or depleting the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. Earlier this month, Congressman Earl Blumenauer introduced the Transportation and Housing Choices for Gas Price Relief Act [PDF]. Blumenauer's hometown paper, The Oregonian, calls the measure a "smart bill":

One week after Metro moved a half cent sales tax to the fall ballot, the Bus Rider's Union launched it's first attack in the press against what it terms, "The MTA's sales-tax boondoggle" in today's on-line "Blowback" section of the Times.