Posted on 08/22/2004 9:36:00 AM PDT by NormsRevenge
LOS ANGELES – California motorists may have to pay $2 more to register their vehicles and an additional 75 cents for a new tire under a plan to fund air pollution programs.
If approved by the Legislature and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, the legislation proposed by Assemblyman Marco Firebaugh, D-Los Angeles, could provide the state with $90 million a year. The money would be used to expand programs targeting smog and to fix or replace pre-1977 school buses and farm equipment, the California Air Resources Board said.
"A lot of people who don't always see eye to eye on these issues have spent months trying to work together, and we have found some common ground," said Rob Oglesby, chief lobbyist for the board.
The bill would allow local air pollution control districts to raise vehicle registration surcharges from $4 to $6. It would also increase new tire fees from $1 to $1.75. Officials said districts in urban areas, including Los Angeles and San Francisco, would be more likely to approve the increases than those in rural regions.
The measure also would give motorists the option of donating $10 a year to air pollution programs when paying for DMV registration. State officials estimate that about 4 percent of motorists would contribute, raising about $10 million annually.
The proposed fee hikes were brokered by Schwarzenegger administration officials, Democratic lawmakers, environmental groups, oil companies and agricultural representatives.
Initially, negotiators wanted more drastic requirements such as removing old, polluting vehicles from the road. Many of those measures, however, were strongly opposed.
Jose Carmona, a Sierra Club lobbyist, said one proposal called for the bill to include additional taxes on gasoline, a major cause of air pollution.
"But we could not reach agreement on that, and we felt that we should do what we could for the time being," he said.
Separately, Schwarzenegger has proposed raising existing smog fees in exchange for giving motorists more time before smog checks are required on new vehicles. That idea was approved as part of the state budget and is expected to bring in $60 million a year.
This is too rich.
Spending continues at record levels, fundraising continues at record levels..
Yup,, Things change.. things stay the same.
Mornin' Norm!!
They could take lessons from our former rino governor, Jim Ryan raised license plate fees from $45 to $78 in one shot.
Howdy, neighbor. :-)
Got any room in your woods for a couple of raccoons and squirrels? Little jerks are working my fruit trees over.
$2 here,, $2 there..
before ya know it, the pile of dough Sacramento is spending just gets bigger.. socialist 'utopia', my foot.
headed to 80 degrees,, for a few days,, should keep the energy consumption down a bit...
Well, OUR former Governor did just that. He TRIPLED our vehicle fees. But then, that is why he is now our FORMER Governor.
The bast...s are at it again. Want more money? Simple. Raise vehicle fees.
The original intent from the Feds on down, was to identify and document facts about environmental quality period. No enforcement whatsoever. The voters had the final word to accept their facts and recommendations, and when money was to be spent to address specific conditions.
It was never intended for bureaucrats, unelected and unaccountable, to create and enforce rules and create expenditures. The sooner we send that message, the sooner we'll be rid of them.
How about that controlling elected twit Assemblyman Marco Firebaugh? Send him back to McDonalds. He was elected, he can be unelected.
Heading for maybe 60 here today. Not much sun.
Hey, I'll take your raccoons and you get two of my goats. Fair? Heheheh.
Got a chuckle out of your title. Reminded me of a USS Nimitz bumper sticker I used to see back in the late '70s, early '80s: BOHICA - Our Screws Never Stop Turning
The registration fees are already $10 higher this year. It cost $40 just in registration fees this year, compared to $30 last year. (I'm not including the "vehicle license fee" tax, which makes up the bulk of the total registration bill for most cars, or the other sundry fees.)
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