Posted on 05/11/2005 5:21:42 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
SACRAMENTO (AP) - After years of neglect, scores of transportation projects statewide would receive a badly needed infusion of $1.3 billion under a plan outlined Wednesday by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
The proposal is a key part of Schwarzenegger's revised 2005-2006 state budget that is due out on Friday.
Facing a shortfall estimated at $8.6 billion, Schwarzenegger proposed in January a $111.7 billion spending plan that included more than $4 billion in borrowing and the transfer of $1.3 billion in sales tax money from transportation programs to other uses.
The governor told an audience of mayors and city council members from across the state Wednesday that economic conditions have improved significantly since January - so much that he could restore the transportation money.
"Our recovery plan is working and as a result we have more revenues coming to the state," Schwarzenegger said. "We're going to create an infrastructure that reduces the gridlock on our roads, builds the facilities that our cities need and speed up the movement of goods."
Although there has been evidence for months that the governor's May budget revision would benefit from rising revenues, the administration has been coy about how much more the state will have available next year.
The legislative analyst has estimated that the state will have at least $2.2 billion above the January estimates.
The governor's aides have said for weeks that Schwarzenegger's priorities for spending any extra money would be transportation projects and reducing the amount of borrowing the state needed next year.
The move Wednesday to restore the transportation funding was well received by the Legislature's Democratic leaders.
"I'm very happy about his transportation proposal," said Assemblyman John Laird, D-Santa Cruz, the chairman of the Assembly Budget Committee. But he said his caucus and the administration were still far apart on education funding and cuts aimed at senior citizen programs. Laird also said that Democrats do not want as much borrowing as the governor proposed in January.
Business leaders also applauded Schwarzenegger's plan as a boost to the economy.
"Transportation is our number one problem," said Jim Wunderman, president and Chief executive officer of the Bay Area Council, which represents more than 250 companies in Northern California. "This is going to fund a lot of projects that otherwise would have stalled out. It's very significant."
Chris McKenzie, executive director of the League of California Cities, also praised the funding idea, pointing out that local government faces a $13 billion deficit in street and road maintenance.
"If we don't take care of the streets and roads today, we'll pay a serious price tomorrow," he said.
While Schwarzenegger's plan was welcomed in many corners, it came as a big disappointment to teachers and school advocates who had hoped the Republican governor would put all or most of the $2 billion in extra money into education.
Educators have been carrying on an aggressive campaign for months against Schwarzenegger's budget plan and the ballot measures he wants to put before voters. They say his budget proposals shortchange schools by about $2 billion, and they worry his ballot initiative to cap state spending will hurt schools in the future.
The governor has argued that his budget proposes an increase of nearly $3 billion for schools next year. And his proposal to impose new restrictions on state spending are needed to permanently solve the state's spending problem.
Barbara Kerr, president of the California Teachers Association, said it is not a question of choosing between important programs.
"Teachers know that the roads needs help, but so do our schools and our senior programs and health care," she said. "I'm not going to say anything against roads getting funding. But schools need money too."
If eventually included in next year's budget, the restore transportation money will reverse two years of raids on the transportation fund for other purposes: $868 million was borrowed in 2003-2004 and another $1.2 billion was taken this fiscal year.
Proposition 42, a measure approved by voters in 2002, earmarks sales tax funds on motor vehicle fuel for transportation programs, but it allows the Legislature, by two-thirds majorities, to suspend that requirement.
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On the Net
Gov.'s home page:http://www.governor.ca.gov/state/govsite/gov-homepage.jsp
It must be Bush's fault
(Denny Crane: "Sometimes you can only look for answers from God and failing that... and Fox News".)
(Denny Crane: "Sometimes you can only look for answers from God and failing that... and Fox News".)
Another good move by Arnold.
Drivers statewide will be glad to see the money filling potholes and fixing roads for a change, even the illegal ones. ;-)
What do you mean "letting it deteriorate"?! It is already one of the worst in the nation.
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SACRAMENTO, APRIL 28 – Californians pay the highest prices in the country to drive on the worst roads in the nation according to a new report from The Road Information Program (TRIP).
The national nonprofit research organization says that California has six of the 10 bumpiest urban road networks in the United States. Los Angeles, San Jose, San Francisco-Oakland and San Diego metropolitan areas rank one through four. Sacramento is seventh on the list, and the Riverside-San Bernardino area is eighth. More than 60 percent of roads in the top four cities provide unacceptable rides, according to the report. The national average in major metropolitan areas is 25 percent.
http://www.transportationca.com/recent_news/hidden_tax.shtml
Seems like I just read that on another thread earlier today!!!
Seems like I just read that on another thread earlier today!!!
I think it's a quote from a fictional action hero. It does look familiar, though.
Arnold gives back money he stole and now some think we should applaud him. It's a good move, but he still he never should have done it in the first place! And he hasn't made up for last years raid, either.
It looks like we're going to have a budget somewhere around $115 BILLION dollars to see tomorrow, and it still includes borrowing! A year ago, it had never been over $100 Billion. Remember his first budget proposal at $99 1/2 Billion??? Everyone was shocked it was so high. Nothing seems to shock anyone anymore.
That's the direct effect of NON-Conservatism, whether fiscal, or social!!!
This is precisely why so-called "moderates" and "celebrities" make ignorant Governors like Jesse Ventura and Arnold Schwarzenegger, co-stars in the movie "Predator!"
In real life, Liberals are the "Predators" who devour the taxed payers/resources and jokers like Jesse and Arnold take forever to figure out how to eliminate the threat!!! The script is there, but too many swoon over celebrity status to discern the direction of the same ol story!!!
What happened to cutting up those credit cards??????????????
more borrowing.. lol
It's for the "greater good" yaknow.
heck, even the media can't cover up that load of patooty.
W.A.S.S.
Excellent revision!
Here's a flashback from September 2003
"It is easy to go and say we are going to give you more on this, more on that. Yeah, of course I want to give away anything and everything, but can we afford it? We always have to come back to one thing and that is, can we afford it! As I said, I teach my kids don't spend more than you have. We have to do the same with Sacramento. It doesn't make any sense. Of course, we want to help everyone. We want to reach out to everyone. But can we afford it and therefore destroy our business environment in California and have everyone move away."Sometimes, as a surgeon would say, you have to cut to save the patient. And this is what the situation is here. That is the bottom line. So we have to look at everything. Before we promise anything to anyone right now, I think, stop. Stop, stop, stop with the spending! And then lets analyze the whole thing and see where the problems really are and where can you cut.
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