California’s Proposition 69 is concerned with fuel taxes and transportation.
Last year California’s state legislature voted to raise the gas tax, the diesel tax, and vehicle registration fees.
The bill they passed said that all $52 billion of revenue would go to transportation projects — like road repair and public transit.
Proposition 69 would make that commitment stronger — by putting it in the state constitution.
If it passes, the California Constitution would require that all the new transportation fees go to on transportation projects — basically, requiring that the revenue be spent the way lawmakers said it would.
SUPPORTERS:
The groups backing Proposition 69 represent cities and counties, as well as construction labor groups — people who were promised money from the transportation bill, and want to make sure they really get it.
And they argue, this is about accountability. This is about making sure the legislature follows through on their promises, and really invests the new revenue in fixing up roads, and other transportation needs that have been neglected for a long time.
OPPONENTS:
The people who argue against Proposition 69 on the voter guide are Republican lawmakers, who opposed last year’s transportation plan in the first place.
They say gas-tax revenue should go only to road repair, and not other transportation projects, such as high-speed rail and bike lanes.
These alternative projects are part of the original bill, and would be protected, under prop 69.
Opponents also say the proposition is flawed, because it doesn’t cover all sources of transportation revenue … such as the vehicle-weight fee, which wasn’t raised in last year’s plan. They want all taxes on drivers to go back to drivers directly.
YOUR VOTE:
Proposition 69 is a constitutional amendment to make sure that the State Legislature spends new transportation dollars on roads and other transportation projects. Like they said they would ... in the first place.
