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A half-cent sales tax increase to pay for road repairs, carpool lanes and expansion of bus and rail transportation in San Diego County is on the Nov. 5 ballot.
The San Diego County Registrar of Voters this week verified more than 127,000 of the approximately 173,000 signatures submitted, exceeding the minimum number of 113,215 valid signatures needed to certify the effort. .
“After more than two years of organizing, the Environmental Health Coalition, transit users and community advocates are proud to put transportation measures on the 2024 ballot,” said Climate Justice Campaign Director. Carolina Martinez said in a news release Friday, Jan. 5. .
“Currently, 70% of jobs are not accessible by public transport,” she says. “This forces San Diego residents to take to congested roads and highways, which are a major contributor to climate change and air pollution in the San Diego region.
“This measure will help grow our economy, clean our air, and meet our climate goals by increasing service, frequency and access,” Martinez said.
If approved by voters, the so-called “Measure to Fund Transportation, Infrastructure and Safety Projects in San Diego County through a Half-Cent Sales Tax” would eliminate the crumbling coastal rail line, the only connection for freight and transportation. This will provide the funds for strengthening it. Passenger train between San Diego and Los Angeles.
It will also create thousands of jobs and support plans for rail connections to San Diego’s airport, safer bridges, sidewalks and bike lanes, and ensuring transit passes are accessible to seniors, youth and people with disabilities. It can also cover expenses.
The measure would provide millions of dollars annually to the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG), the region’s largest transportation and planning agency. SANDAG has set out ambitious plans to expand rail services and build a major transportation hub. Tax increases would help accelerate that vision, but that’s currently not possible without a major infusion of capital.
“As a recent college graduate, I walk, bike, and take public transportation to school, restaurants, and work,” campaign coordinator Emma Rodriguez said in a news release. Voters’ approval of the measure “will help me,” he added. We serve all San Diegans by increasing transportation options, easing traffic, delivering clean air, and improving road safety. ”
Last year, the same campaign created a similar petition called “Let’s Go!” San Diego came up with about 95,000 valid signatures, falling short of the 115,788 needed at the time. Organizers said there may have been an administrative issue and they would try again.
Labor and environmental groups support the bill, but groups such as Reform California, led by conservative radio talk show host Carl DeMaio, oppose it.
“The people can’t afford it,” DeMaio said in June, shortly after the petition began. “I guess they don’t know that we have a massive inflation problem and people are suffering.”
San Diego County voters don’t necessarily support raising the sales tax.
In November 2016, Measure A, a half-cent sales tax to fund public transportation and highway projects in the county, fell short of the required two-thirds majority with about 57 percent of votes cast. Ta. This bill required a higher percentage of votes because it was not citizen-initiated. The measure was drafted by the San Diego Association of Governments and placed on the ballot by the County Board of Supervisors.
As a citizen initiative, this year’s ballot measures require approval by a simple majority of 50 percent of voters plus one.
If approved, the county would collect revenue from the increased fund for purposes specified in the initiative. A citizen committee is usually appointed to oversee spending.
The poll found that about 59 percent of respondents supported the bill, campaign spokeswoman Gretchen Newsom said Friday.
“We seem to have a lot of momentum,” Newsom said. “Everyone expects us to get it done. The community needs this infrastructure.”
The countywide minimum sales tax rate is 7.75 percent. That includes the state’s 7.25 percent tax rate, plus his half-cent Transnet surcharge that county voters approved to pay for transportation projects.
Voters in many cities approved additional tax increases to increase sales tax revenue. Oceanside, El Cajon and Vista are at 8.25%, and La Mesa is at 8.5%. In Chula Vista, National City, Del Mar, Solana Beach and Imperial Beach, where voters approved full cent increases, the rate is 8.75 percent.
Rates are even higher in some of California’s largest cities, such as Los Angeles at 9.5%.
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