Board of Supervisors votes against putting transit sales tax on ballot

Updated: 3:50 p.m.

Illustrating how politically difficult it is to tackle traffic in Los Angeles County, transportation officials were caught by surprise today when the Board of Supervisors failed to back a proposed sales tax increase that may raise up to $40 billion for road and transportation projects.

The supervisors’ failure to muster a simple majority to place the proposal on the Nov. 4 ballot does not kill the measure, but makes it more complicated and more costly. If the Legislature gives its blessing — a bill to authorize the measure goes before a key committee Thursday — county election officials would create a separate “conditional” ballot that general election voters would also consider.

But even the progress of that bill has been slowed by squabbling among state lawmakers who want more of the tax money to pay for work in their districts, since construction could trigger millions of dollars in jobs and development.

East Los Angeles officials want more for extending light rail lines east of downtown; west Los Angeles officials want to keep the focus on relieving congestion on the Westside and starting the so-called subway to the sea.

With gas prices soaring and mass transit ridership up, the sales tax effort has been gaining steam and last month was approved by the board of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Within minutes of the supervisors' vote today, MTA chief executive Roger Snoble said the agency would sue the Board of Supervisors to force the sales tax onto the regular ballot.

"I'm in the process of hiring outside counsel because we can't hire county counsel because they would have a conflict," Snoble said. "We have a fairly decent chance of going into court and getting that reversed."

Many politicians have hailed the sales tax as the county's best shot at getting a $30-billion to $40-billion pot of money that is controlled locally. Budget woes, the economy and the Iraq war have made it difficult to get state or federal funding of that magnitude in recent years, and sales tax backers argue that a tax hike is the surest way to secure projects such as a subway, the Expo Line to Santa Monica and an extension of the Gold Line from Pasadena deeper into the San Gabriel Valley.

The 13-member Metro board voted in July to put the sales tax on the ballot. All five supervisors sit on the Metro board, and Snoble said that his understanding of the law is that the Supervisors vote today was largely procedural.

In particular, he said, the law requires the Board of Supervisors to examine the ballot and vote against placing an item on it if there is a physical issue with the ballot -- for example, that it doesn't fit.

"I'm already looking at this thing costing a whole lot of money, and to add more money, to me, it's really hurtful," Snoble said.

The problem has been politics. Local transportation officials have said that even $40 billion is not nearly enough to build all the projects that should have been built long ago or ones needed in the future. Complicating matters, it is well known that politicians sometimes seek transit projects because of the construction jobs, development and influence they generate.

Another issue has been legislation concerning the proposed sales tax. Officials at local, state and federal levels have all been trying to get language inserted that ensures their districts not only get projects but also see them funded robustly and in a timely manner.

That, in particular, was the problem three of the supervisors had with the sales tax: They believed that the money was distributed unfairly and that the MTA came up with a poor spending plan that favored project such as the subway on the Westside over other rail lines in the county.

"But the way it was done at the MTA certainly wasn't by any way kind of a fair process [of] let's be fair to the voters," said Supervisor Gloria Molina, who abstained. "It was a nice concocted scheme that went on. And every single and every step of the way it has made arrangements at how they were going to get more for one side of town versus the other side."

She later added: "It's a very funny way this little choo-choo is getting on the ballot."

Supervisor Mike Antonovich said that the money should be split up on a per capita basis. He, too, complained that money for some projects -- such as $1 billion earmarked for a mass transit project along the 405 through the Sepulveda Pass -- will ultimately be diverted to pay for the costly subway.

Supervisor Don Knabe, who portrays himself as a fiscal conservative, initially said that although he would vote to put the sales tax on the ballot, he wasn't for it -- but didn't think taxpayers should foot the bill for a symbolic vote. He quickly reversed course and voted against the sales tax.

Later, in an interview, Knabe said that he expects the MTA to successfully sue to place the tax measure on the existing ballot. Still, he said the supervisors' decision would reap benefits.

"I think it got everybody's attention that there is an equity issue here," Knabe said. "It's always a real dogfight to get a fair share of the dollars east of the 110 Freeway."

Knabe was absent for the MTA board vote last month because he was attending a celebratory event for the birth of his first grandson.

Transit advocates were not pleased.

"What a fiasco of childish parochial grandstanding," wrote Dana Gabbard, of the Southern California Transit Advocates, on a Times comment board. "...We desperately need leadership in this region, and it is obvious that isn't what we are getting from the Supervisors."

The Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce also issued a statement denouncing the vote -- even though the Chamber has yet to take an official position on the sales tax.

“Nearly every workday begins with a discussion about traffic,” said Gary Toebben, the president and CEO.  “Voters should be allowed to consider all potential solutions including a half-cent sales tax increase to fund transportation projects.”

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who chairs the MTA board and said that he has been working to build a coalition for the sales tax, had not commented on the supervisors' vote as of early this afternoon.

Even more surprising, the vote came after county attorneys told the board that the sales tax would still go forward -- but now on a separate ballot than the rest of the general election. That move would cost taxpayers an additional $2 million to $3 million, said county officials.

In addition, county election officials said that a separate ballot would require a separate mailing of ballots to voters and that it's likely the separate ballots would be counted well after the general election ballots.

-- Steve Hymon and Garrett Therolf

Comments

[Dana Gabbard]

If Molina, Knabe or Antonovich is your Supervisor and you disagree with their no vote call their office and let them know. Staff keep a tally on the opinions residents of the district call about. A lot of calls can shake up their complacency.

Gloria Molina - (213) 974-4111
Don Knabe - (213) 974-4444
Mike Antonovich - (213) 974-5555

[Frank]

This is absurd! It's time for new blood in LA leadership. These backward politicians are and will drive LA into the ground. Do they not realize the need for public transportation? Do they not realize that gas is 4+ a gallon? and is only going to get worse. It's time to get real and face our issues now!

[Bart Reed]

The Transit Coalition has long endorsed the viewpoint that Los Angeles County needs to save itself, as we are not getting money from the state or federal government to build or fund the transportation we so vitally need. Sadly, 3 supervisors don't want the public to have a crack to see if they want to fund improvements. Kenneth Alpern, TTC President wrote about this the other day in CityWatch respectfully asking that the Supes act as adults. http://www.citywatchla.com/content/view/1471/75/ If you are outraged, simply pick up the phone and call the offices of Gloria Molina, Don Knabe or Michael Antonovich. Tell them you want a chance to vote this up or down and not waste taxpayer funds on a separate election. Democracy is about choice, not elected officials acting to deny you any choice.

[David Raether]

The LA County Board of "Supervisors" is a better name for it. Put the last word in quotes.

They haven't supervised the county's health care system for years now.

Why should we expect them to supervise an improvement in the county's transit system?

What a joke these people are!

[Raul]

I can't believe how petty and short-sighted Molina, Knabe and Antonovich are. I just came back from a weekend in SF and marveled at how comparatively efficient and useful their public transit is compared to ours. Sure, Bay Area residents have their gripes with Muni and BART, but if they get a taste of what we have here, they'll consider themselves lucky. It took me two hours using the Flyaway and the Metro to get home from LAX last night. It took me all of half an hour to get to my hotel from SFO. Now I'm ranting, but I can't believe that much needed funds are being blocked out of sheer pettiness. I am from West Covina and my family still lives there, and I don't see how the eastside is getting the shaft from the Metro proposal. It is fair and equitable. It may seem that the city gets most of the benefit, but in truth it will benefit everyone.

[Darrell Clarke]

Talk about opponents shooting themselves in the foot: With no sale tax there's no Eastside extension past Atlantic for Gloria Molina, no Foothill Gold Line for John Fasana and Mike Antonovich, and no increase in operating funding for the BRU's supporters. On the ballot finally or not, with "leadership" like this what are its chances of passage in November?

For contrast, be sure to read Ken Alpern's CityWatchLA column this week, "Time for the County Board to Act Like Grownups" ( http://www.citywatchla.com/content/view/1471/75/ ).

[LAX]

You have got to be kidding me. Please tell me the LA Times will be naming names with their cover story on this sham tomorrow.

[Jose]

My contempt for the board of supervisors grows day by day. For a gang that does not seem capable of getting ahead of anything that is under their control, to avoid yet another opportunity for the citizens of the county to actually have a voice in how things go in the future is just imbecilic.

All the talk about putting it on a separate ballot is just that - talk. It is apparent that they have no plan for how to deal with the traffic in this county, and just don't care enough to even try alternatives.

Nero is fiddling madly in Elysium, trying to keep his position ahead of these buffoons, but losing ground steadily.

[eclexia]

I'm a resident of Molina's district. I can't express how furious I am with our representative for blocking this. Maybe it's time for a "Don't shop in District 1" consumer boycott campaign.

[Jimmy]

What a joke. This is why this country will never get it's head out of its you know what. The people are suffering from air pollution, aggravation, and are wasting their lives away sitting in traffic. They want the sales tax increase to at least do something to expand mass transit, and the "big boys" in charge shoot it down. Is there really any hope for LA/other big cities/the country in general?

[Dana Gabbard]

What a fiasco of childish parochial grandstanding (you can beat Antonovich's whining about equity is code for more money in his district). We desperately need leadership in this region, and it is obvious that isn't what we are getting from the Supervisors...

[Lawrence]

The LA board of supervisors is ridiculous. So their position is what? If we don't get enough money for projects in our district we're going to shoot it down so nobody gets any money and transit continues to suck in Los Angeles! Way to go supervisors - you really showed em! Glad to see you impeding the progress of America's second largest city.

L.A needs better transit and it needs it now. All of these people who resent paying for projects that aren't in their district fail to realize that we already pay for freeways and road improvements throughout the county even if we don't all use them. We do it because we know its important regionally. The same holds true for public transit.