Now, the battle begins over sales tax proposal

It may be only half a penny, but from the looks of things on Friday, the effort to raise sales taxes in Los Angeles County to pay for a slew of mass transit projects and road improvements will likely be a heated contest this coming fall.

On Thursday, the board of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority voted to put a half-cent sales tax hike on the Nov. 4 ballot. The Legislature still must approve a companion bill, but proponents are already planning a fall campaign for the tax, which they say could raise from $30 billion to $40 billion for new rail lines and to fix freeway bottlenecks.

At the gas pumps on Friday, however, the sales tax proved to be a tough sell. Of motorists interviewed by The Times, a typical response came from Henry Gonzalez, a 19-year-old biology major who was boarding an Orange Line bus in North Hollywood.

"I honestly would not vote for it," said Gonzalez, who added that he started taking the bus to summer school at Valley College recently, paying $13 a week in fares versus $95 a week to drive his car from Westlake to chemistry class. The problem, he said, is that the new sales tax would unfairly place the burden on lower income workers who rely on mass transit to get around town.

But other San Fernando Valley residents said they would gladly support such a tax hike, citing positive experiences on mass transit in other cities that eclipsed the mishmash of systems in Los Angeles that often leave residents unable to get where they need to be in a timely manner.

"I’m a big believer in public transportation," said Jamie Tarlove, as she topped off her gleaming black Honda Pilot with $75 in gas at a Chevron station in Sherman Oaks. Saying she just returned from a vacation to New York with her family, the schoolteacher recounted how her clan took the subway everywhere.

"I feel sorry for all the housekeepers on the corner who have to wait for a bus on Sundays," she added, saying she often drove her housekeeper home rather than asking her to take the bus. She also expressed surprise that part of the money from an increased tax hike would be used to finance Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s "subway to the sea," saying that she thought the new system was "already a done deal."

For more detail, click the link...

-- Steve Hymon with help from Jennifer Oldham, Joanna Lin and David Zahniser

Photo: Associated Press / Dan Loh

Metro’s sales tax push is seemingly coming at a ripe time. Gas prices topped $4 for the first time this year and in response ridership on many rail lines in the area has vastly increased over the past three months.

The sales tax, however, is still no sure thing. If it makes the ballot it will have to secure two-thirds approval for passage — often a high hurdle — and it will hardly be the only tax voters face at the polls.
Voters in some parts of the city and county will likely see three taxes backed by Villaraigosa. Besides the sales tax, there is also an annual $36 per parcel tax to pay for more gang programs in Los Angeles and there could be a Los Angeles Unified School District bond.

Two weeks ago, Villaraigosa’s pollster, Washington D.C.-based Feldman Group, asked voters to say whether they would support bond measures ranging from $3.2 billion to $6 billion to $10 billion. The poll showed that a $10 billion school bond would secure the 55% needed for passage from district voters, as would the smaller bond measures. The LAUSD is set to vote later this month on whether to move forward with that bond.

The mayor’s office is likely to oversee the campaign for the transportation sales tax, which supporters hope to call Measure R — the ‘R’ stands for traffic relief. The thinking is that the campaign will cost $5 million to $8 million, placing a heavy focus on those who already take mass transit and younger voters that pollsters believe are sympathetic to mass transit and are expected to turnout to vote for Sen. Barack Obama.

Officials in the mayor’s office have already been trying to drum up support, having met with influential groups such as AAA of Southern California, as well as labor and business groups.

Maria Elena Durazo, the executive secretary-treasurer of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, appeared before the Metro board on Thursday to tell them that 25 of the unions under the Federation’s umbrella wanted to see the sales tax go to the ballot.

Durazo said that while normally the Federation is leery of sales taxes because they are regressive in nature — that is, they hit everyone with the same tax rate without regard to income levels — this one was different.

"It’s jobs," Durazo said, "but it’s more than that — it’s about how do you get to your job.... If there was not a sense of urgency on this, our people wouldn’t be for it."

Metro board member David Fleming, an appointee of the mayor with long ties to the business community, said that he also expected area firms to donate to the campaign.

“When we did polling of our members at the business federation, I was surprised to see that the number one issue was not taxes or regulation, it was traffic,” said Fleming, the chairman of the Los Angeles County Business Federation and an attorney at Latham & Watkins. “It has to do with delivery of goods and services and getting employees to work on time.”

Meanwhile, some potential opposition began taking shape on Friday.

County Supervisor Mike Antonovich, through a spokesman, said that he may ask the Board of Supervisors to put a measure on the November ballot that would require sales tax money to be spent in proportion to where it is raised in the county.

Antonovich (left) was one of two MTA board members who voted against the sales tax on Thursday.
In addition, four members of Congress representing the San Gabriel Valley — David Dreier, Gary Miller, Grace Napolitano and Hilda Solis — issued a press release Friday criticizing the Metro board for moving forward on the sales tax and a congestion pricing toll road plan for parts of the 10 and 110 freeways.

In an interview, Solis said the Metro sales tax ordinance lacks assurances that the $735 million set aside for an extension of the Gold Line in the San Gabriel Valley would actually go to that project.
"I think that people need to know where that money is going," Solis said. "If we’re not getting our fair share, people need to be clear on that."

Solis said that many residents of her district, which includes El Monte, Rosemead and Azusa, are low-income workers and she feared that sales tax money would go to the subway-to-the sea instead. A multi-billion dollar federal transportation bill is scheduled to go to Congress for debate next year and Solis said that she would base her votes on certain projects such as the subway on what happens to projects in her district.

"Where do you think I’m going to be when that comes up," Solis said. "I’ll say you had an opportunity to help us out."

Ultimately, of course, supporters of the sales tax will have to convince motorists and mass transit users that they’ll get something in return. And that may be difficult, as even some who are suffering at the gas pumps are leery of the proposal.

Lorena Quientero supervises transportation for the East Valley Senior Center. As she filled a van with gas in Valley Village on Friday, Quintero said that neither she or the frail seniors who rely on her for rides to medical appointments could afford a sales tax increase.

"No, absolutely not," she replied, when asked whether she would vote for a measure to increase the county’s sales tax.

As the price of gas escalated this year, costing her agency $100 every two days to refill its white vans, calls for rides increased by 20%, she said, adding that the organization has been forced to turn down many seniors asking for help getting to the grocery store.

The opposite view came from Ricky Estrada, 39, who was filling his Mercedes at a downtown Shell Station. “Gas is so expensive,” he said. “It” — the sales tax increase — “would probably save me some money.”

He said he already takes public transit occasionally but would take it more if the system were improved.

Photos: Los Angeles Times / Michael Robinson Chavez / Mark Boster

Comments

[Ed C.]

As much as I hate tax increases, I will be the first in line to put a Yes on this. The sales tax increase will be felt mostly for those who have the money on discretionary purchases (mostly those in middle/upper class). The Westside needs a subway. Period.

[johnny]

So I guess the Red Line must have been devastated by the earthquake today, right J?

[johnny]

"The Northridge earthquake was called that because -- well -- it was centered in Northridge, not Los Angeles. With this information and a quick search of LA Times archives on the topic, there is little reason to believe the current Red Line will withstand seismic events in similar manner to the world's major subways."

The epicenter of the Northridge quake was approximately 15 miles from the existing subway. By comparison, the 1989 Loma Prieta quake was centered 35 miles from the nearest BART station, and 50 miles from the Transbay Tunnel (which parallels the Oakland Bay Bridge, part of which collapsed). The epicenter of the 1985 "Mexico City" earthquake was 200 miles away from Mexico City, off the coast of Michoacan. And for what its worth, Northridge is technically within the LA city limits.

I too did a quick search of the LA Times and Google, and I didn't find anything that would indicate that the LA metro was any less safe than other subway systems in earthquake zones. We all know about the mid-90's subway construction debacle, but the news sources I have read seem to agree that the subway has since been brought up to acceptable levels of earthquake safety. As far as fears that subsequent subway tunneling will also be botched, MTA's handling of the subway portion of the east side gold line seems to indicate that they've cleaned up their act. There were no sinkholes or overly thin tunnel walls, the only concerns were of people fearing that station construction at Mariachi Plaza would prevent local mariachis from finding clients.

I support this tax since it really isn't that much considering the change it could create.

[Kymberleigh Richards]

To "J in Pasadena" (who appears to be a hack for the anti-rail forces):

The Davis article you cite predicted problems with the segment of the Red Line that was about to begin tunneling underneath the Hollywood Hills. Said problems did not manifest.

The Northridge earthquake, although with an epicenter in Northridge, delivered energy on diagonals far from there. We all remember what happened to the freeway bridge on the 10. That was farther from Northridge than the subway.

Davis also made much of former Mayor Riordan's involvement, but he apparently failed to research the fact that when Riordan was elected, he resigned from his law firm and placed all of his financial interests in a blind trust.

In fact, Davis appears to have used the Bus Riders Union as his primary source of information (and wrote an article worthy of their praise, but no one else's) and we all know they were violently opposed to the Red Line when it was under construction.

Find a credible source to quote from next time.

[Tony Fernandez]

Wow Steve (the guy who posted the comment, not Steve Hymon), you sure are a pessimist. It makes me wonder why you look at LA Times blogs.

Btw, if nothing ever gets done, how do you explain our Metro system?

J in Pasadena, you know absolutely nothing about earthquakes, and you sure don't understand construction. The Red Line has been great. This is not the same MTA as the early 90s or the RTD. Look at the construction record of the Gold Line Eastside Extension and you tell me that this organization has not turned itself around.

[steve]

Subways to the sea, connector lines, tax increases to improve our transit system. People are dreaming. Nothing is going to get done. This stuff should have happened a long long time ago.

If you want an efficient transit system, you're gonna have to move out of the LA area. Period.

[John]

We have to improve our transit system. We have to pass this tax. It is the best investment we can make in our future. Not doing so would be an incredibly short-sighted catastrophe.

[forgotten citizen]

As a visual impair person, I depend the bus all the time. I don't know if I should vote yes or no on this ballot. I have voted several time to increase the sales tax to pay for public transit. there is improvement (red/green/blue/whatever that goes no where). I also observed that so many bus services got cut. The bus service is still terrible

I was very angry to see all the ballot before (include the 20 billion bond) that has provision to fix the free way etc and improvement of freight rail. this ballot is little bit better. Only few of them goes to freeway improvement (still amount half of them).

People here are arguing the importance of expo line. As a SGV residence. i totally agree importance. i kept wondering will the bill help us at all.

just give u some examples,

1) a coworker asked my help (on behalf of his friend) to get to somewhere in west la, after research, it takes 1 metrolink and 3 buses. that metro link only run few times in the morning and afternoon (metro link really discourage to ride the rail. it only stops certain place with limited schedule. i don't know why some ppl kept say SGV has metro link). This stinks, so his friend drives. After expo line is built, it will be 1 metrolink, subway, and bus (slow bus). that does not solve the problem

2) the other ex-coworker took metro link and two buses to fox hill. After the first day, he drove his car, the buses are not reliable.

if expo is built, will the car driver in SGV willing to take metrolink to go to west la, or even park the car at El Monte station to go to W LA. Expo line is blessing, but it may not help a lot.

Public transit in LA is a big mess. If the ballot does not get pass in November, the situation gets worst. if it passes, it helps little but not enough to encourage more middle class to take public transit. for low wage ppl, they don't care. they know no matter what, they are forgotten citizens. Nobody care about the bus riders. we got ignored all the time. I don't know how many we will vote. How many times did we pray for the change and nothing change. before the foothill transit cut service to Metrolink at city of Industry, i tried to persuade a lady at bus to call foothill transit to change mind. She said it made no difference. Yes, foothill transit still cut the service

I wish all the freeway related money could divert to transit or bus, but I cannot make the change

If the ballot failed, it will take 4 hours to west la. if ballot passes, it may take me 3 hours, but it is hard to say, they may cut the service in our area. we really don't have a lot mean of transportation

484 is the best one. in theory, it runs every 30 minutes
490 and 482 snake around the area and they are always late

metrolink is for the drivers. For the bus riders. forget it. it is hidding somewhere. for the bus riders, in Diamond bar area, we have to walk 15 to 20 minutes to get to the metrolink from the nearby bus stop. i am not sure about the other bus stop. the stink bus system has prevented to travel the whole area. However, most ppl would agree that metrolink is car drivers not for the bus riders. I agree some bus stop @ metrolink, but with that limited schedule. How could we depend Metro link

In west la, there is a crappy 33. it runs every couple minutes. I lived in Mar Vista for 2 years. that was my best years in LA. In San Fernando, there is a bus along Ventura blvd (i have not checked the status since i have not taken the trek to that area for 10 years). it also ran once every couple minutes. MTA has added some Rapid in SFV. I know in SFV and W LA, ppl need more than that because so many ppl live in that area and ppl in SGV to go to W LA and SFV to work. However, ppl in SGV have nothing. We, bus riders, just got tired that we don't complain.

I probably will vote yes on this ballot, but I know it is going to disappointment. the goldline extension does not even help many ppl in SGV (what happened to the ppl in Rosemead, El Monte, Hacienda Heights, Rowland Heights, Diamond Bar, West Covina, Covina, and on and on). Even after 2 hours trek to the west LA, we still have to struggle to take the bus (that runs once an hour) to get to certain point @ west LA. this 30 bn dream that will not solve the problem at all.

People @ MTA should really use their brain to utilize our money. they should stop using the money on freeway project. I already paid enough tax on freeway which I rarely use (of course, i did use the freeway when the buses drive the busway from El Monte Station to downtown LA). Call me selfish, the money should all go to transit/bus/car pool related project or it will another broken dream

[Robert NO longer in LA]

The only tax increase we would support is to build more prisons and increase 3rd strike incarcerations! The rest of the 'bull' is political pork these jerks squander for 'socially prominent' developers to build high density garbage out in the boondocks, where NEW roads are needed..." To 'snell' with fixing old roads you need; we developers cough up plenty in campaign contributions, and THIS is our payoff,,,er, pay back!"

[J in Pasadena]

Response to likely MTA hacks is the following quote from The Nation, v261, n8 (Sept 18, 1995) at http://www.radicalurbantheory.com/mdavis/trainbus.html :

"All of the major Red Line contractors, screened from effective oversight, have been allowed to run roughshod. Tunneling through hazardous subsoil conditions that include pockets of dangerous gas as well as treacherous water-saturated sands, contractors have routinely failed to build subway walls to the required thickness or to grout unstable soil."

The Northridge earthquake was called that because -- well -- it was centered in Northridge, not Los Angeles. With this information and a quick search of LA Times archives on the topic, there is little reason to believe the current Red Line will withstand seismic events in similar manner to the world's major subways. (This is my *warning to the world*, incidentally.)

Moreover, the earlier Red Line construction was plagued with graft and political corruption so flagrant it resulted in a Justice Department probe that landed arrests on kickback schemes.

There is a lot to write here, even about other supposedly sparkling MTA efforts. Unfortunately, my experience is that with the MTA the only guide for the future is that history usually repeats itself.

[J in Pasadena]

Response to Simon and Jerard is that the Redline was so graft with political and contractor corruption that parts of it were built with concrete 33 percent as thick as spec called. Does that make you feel safe about the MTA's redline in an earthquake? What about the MTA's judgment and management not to redo the flunky construction? One thing about history is that it usually repeats itself.

[Rosemary]

Please remember that this is community of 10 million people, not just one person. Our tax dollars are meant to provide service for all who need it. The Westside rails are desperately needed, as anyone who deals with the daily gridlock knows, and will also improve air quality - which has deteriorated drastically all over the basin in the last few years. In addition, it will attract more tourists, who bring in additional revenue to our community. A half-cent tax increase is chump change, and cannot possibly affect the poor to any great degree. On a fifty-dollar purchase, the tax increase would amount to twenty-five cents. High gasoline costs are even worse. It's time for everyone to grow up and realize that what's good for the city as a whole benefits everyone.

[Morgan Wick]

"Solis said that many residents of her district, which includes El Monte, Rosemead and Azusa, are low-income workers and she feared that sales tax money would go to the subway-to-the sea instead. A multi-billion dollar federal transportation bill is scheduled to go to Congress for debate next year and Solis said that she would base her votes on certain projects such as the subway on what happens to projects in her district."

Does that mean she's going to look critically on the Gold Line extention because it'll skip all the parts of the SGV in her district that are actually populated and actually need transit solutions and instead go for the Sprawlville in the foothills? Probably not!

On the subject of connector lines: Chicago only really has the Loop; all their other lines are focused on Downtown. In New York, it's hard to cross boroughs and impossible to get between the Bronx and Long Island on the subway without entering Manhattan, and probably getting south of Central Park. All of Washington, DC's dendritic lines are focused on downtown with few if any "connectors". Ditto San Francisco's MUNI. It's arguable LA SHOULDN'T be building connector lines (other than the proposed Santa Monica Blvd connector between the Purple Line in Beverly Hills and the Red Line in Hollywood) so job development can be refocused on downtown where it should be. (Another reason the Gold Line extention shouldn't be built as urban rail: it practically begs for connector lines far further out than connector lines should ever exist.)

[David Raether]

I live in Pasadena, and let me tell you: the Subway to the Sea is no joke. It's desperately needed.

Here's how I get to Santa Monica -- Gold Line to the Purple Line to Wilshire & Western.

Then stand and stand and stand and wait until you can finally squeeze into the fourth or fifth Rapid Bus that finally comes by.

There are literally hundreds of thousands of people who would use a subway from downtown to Santa Monica and all points in between.

The problem is not the Rapid Bus (although they should have more). It's the other 8 million cars on Wilshire.

Subways and light rail are better for this kind of thing because they have predictable schedules and are faster and more convenient.

[Simon]

While I agree with the comment that there need to be more connector lines, you can't build connectors until you have real lines.

Right now the current system doesn't have enough lines for connectors to make sense. For instance, on the west side, once the expo and purple lines are built, now suddenly it makes sense to extend the green line or something else north-south from LAX to the San Fernando Valley, connecting all those lines and providing another entry point in to the system.

The obvious one would be a Sepulveda/405 North-South line (which they did set aside a billion dollars for), but you just can't build that until you have the east-west lines that it's going to connect to.

New York and other cities did not have comprehensive subway systems in a day or even in just a few decades. They built line by line, mile by mile, for fifty years, and even now New York is expanding their subway system again. If you sit around and wait for a complete system to somehow get done all at once, it's just not gonna happen.

[johnny]

"Tokyo, Mexico City, San Francisco all have major fault lines through their cities and they've built subways and guess what, it's safer underground because of the tubular structure, which works with the seismic loads underground. "

Don't forget that part of the Red/Purple line subway was already in operation during the 94 Northridge quake. I don't seem to remember it getting damaged at all. Plenty of freeways were damamged though, including the 10 which our buddy J wants us to expand.

[bikinginla]

Let's forget for a moment that Metro has no problem dedicating billions of dollars to specific transit projects, yet can't commit a lousy 1% for bicycle and pedestrian projects that could get far more people out of their cars.

No, the real problem is that the entire Metro system is, frankly, a joke. No matter how many Blue, Red, Green, Gold, Pink or Chartreuse lines they build, no matter how many Expo lines and subways to the sea, this city will never have a workable transit system until they can manage to build, yes, connector lines. There is simply no viable way now, or in the current plans, to get from one line to another without having to go all the way downtown — which isn't exactly practical if your goal is to eventually be able to go from Santa Monica to Long Beach, or out to the Valley, for instance.

They can try to pass all the tax increases they want, but until someone — anyone — has the foresight to design an actual transit system, with easy connections from one line to another, it will remain the very unfunny joke that it is.

[Jerard]

That biology major up there needs to learn a little bit more because a sales tax is the most equitable way of funding projects because it will be the people with more disposable income (Middle and Upper Classes) that will pay for it. with both neccessary and splurge purchases.

The lower/working class simply pay what they can on neccessary purchases when they get something for the $1 menu at McDonalds or makes non-food purchases at Food4Less. It's equitable it's based on how much a person purchases. Another source that generates this sales tax are visitors and tourists who come here who pay for items.

These are little things that Property taxes would be a more significant burden to all classes because it would zero in on the property owners who will then trickle it down to the lower and working class renters who will get screwed left and right.

========

"We need a quickly built way to get from downtown to Santa Monica, yet they push for this behemoth without considering the costs and timing. The Expo line is a joke too it goes through all the areas no one needs and does not serve the commuters. "

LOL, I hope you are joking in that statement, Expo Line is the line that will quickly get commuters from Santa Monica to LA and points in between like West LA, Culver City, Crenshaw and USC. Phase 1 to Culver City in 2010 with a passing sales tax we're in S.Monica by 2013.

========
"Let's expand the 10 Freeway or build a cheap monorail over the top of Wilshire instead of the multi-billion dollar new Redline joke. It will probably collapse in an earthquake anyway."

Tokyo, Mexico City, San Francisco all have major fault lines through their cities and they've built subways and guess what, it's safer underground because of the tubular structure, which works with the seismic loads underground.

Building a monorail over Wilshire could be possible if Monorail vehicles don't need a yard to service the trains. However like most machines there needs a requirement to store and maintain the trains so that they are working properly, where along Wilshire can you use eniment domain and cease land to build this facility? Call me when you've found a politically feasiable location along the Wilshire or 10 freeway corridor (which ironically mimics that 'useless' Expo Line that you talk about).

[Dan W.]

Subways are safely built for earthquakes.

During the San Francisco quake of 1989, the BART tunnel was 100% safe, while the Bay Bridge collapsed.

[Spokker]

How does a teacher afford a housekeeper? I thought these teachers were all hard up for cash.

[J in Pasadena]

I forgot to mention that the "Subway to the Sea" is a total joke, too. It's like the MTA board is playing with Tonka Toy Tax money. We need a quickly built way to get from downtown to Santa Monica, yet they push for this behemoth without considering the costs and timing. The Expo line is a joke too it goes through all the areas no one needs and does not serve the commuters. Let's expand the 10 Freeway or build a cheap monorail over the top of Wilshire instead of the multi-billion dollar new Redline joke. It will probably collapse in an earthquake anyway. Guess what? The MTA board has to pay off their big contractor patrons. This is all about ca$h not serving the people of the SGV or the Westside.