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No on Transit Fees: It’s about Politics, Stupid |
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Road Kill
By Kenneth S. Alpern
As I mentioned in my last article to CityWatch, my personal, professional and grassroots experiences has led me to conclude that I prefer the company of children to adults because only children ever truly act their age.
Well, the County Board of Supervisors voted 3-2 to oppose giving the voters a chance to choose whether to initiate a half-cent sales tax that would pay for a countywide list of decades-overdue rail, road and freeway projects to make up for Sacramento and Washington shortchanging our region—knowing full well that a ballot measure is still forthcoming but will be separate and cost an extra $3 million or so because of their decision.
The usual harping from Gloria Molina about the Eastside not getting a Red or Purple Line Subway continues, despite the fact that the earliest subway we’re likely to see (and one which is almost entirely within her district) is the Downtown Light Rail Connector that would be fast-tracked by this sales tax:
Why the Eastside Light Rail Project, which has a prominent subway segment, and the Downtown Connector, which will be a vital subway extension to connect her Eastside constituents with a one-seat ride to the Westside and the rest of the county, is dismissed by Supervisor Molina as chopped liver is beyond me, but I’ll go out on a limb and suggest that her constituents would really appreciate having these two projects.
Furthermore, as a transit advocate who believes in meeting the needs of all taxpaying constituents, I’ll suggest that those politicians complaining about not getting anything are in that position because they’re never FOR something—I know what you’re against, Supervisor Molina, but what are you FOR?
I believe that the Purple/Red Line should have been, and needs to be, extended to the Eastside, so why not demand a set-aside for the southeast portion of Downtown that needs its own subway? If the Westside planners can include $1 billion for a future project to connect the San Fernando Valley and the Westside, shouldn’t Eastside planners include the same for an Eastside that clearly needs more than just one transit project?
Furthermore, it should be noted that the Westside has no more major freeway projects to pursue after the I-405 has been completed, and that it’s the Eastside who’ll get all the freeways from this sales tax to meet the needs of commuting county residents who probably need improvements to the I-5, I-710, and SR-60 freeways a lot more than they need (or care about) mass transit.
The same, of course, can be said for the San Gabriel Valley, who at this point is on the verge of now being able to blame Supervisor Michael Antonovich more than those eeeeeeeeevil Westside and City of L.A. politicians for failing to extend the Foothill Gold Line to Azusa, Claremont and beyond…to say nothing of local freeway and Metrolink and other transportation improvements that were potentially threatened by Supervisor Antonovich’s recent “no” vote opposing the sales tax.
I guess I need to throw out (yet again) the concept of the Ocean To The Eastern Regions (OTTER) Rail Line that will someday be completed if the Expo, Downtown Connector and Foothill Gold Lines—all great and overdue projects—are properly completed, and which makes the argument of which segment of light rail should be built first entirely ridiculous:
It might be understandable why Don Knabe, who’s quietly and resolutely anti-tax, would vote no for the sales tax…but if his “no” vote ensures $3 million more is being spent on the measure, is that really helping the taxpayer, to say nothing of denying the taxpayer the right to choose on this measure? Furthermore, shouldn’t Supervisor Knabe take a page from other political leaders, be FOR something, and spearhead the movement to improve the I-405, I-710, I-5 and other freeways in his district, to say nothing of extending the Green Line to LAX and the South Bay Galleria Mall (all projects that the South Bay Cities Council of Governments strongly favor)?
To my taxpaying neighbors and political leaders, I remind you that the federal transportation budget is plowing deep into red ink and these projects are (despite the state and federal governments shamelessly neglecting their transportation obligations) likely to take decades to become reality unless we “save ourselves” as a county. We continue to prematurely fight too many battles and lose the war to improve our economy, environment and quality of life with respect to transportation.
Is the offer of no solution to the voters to fix our transportation dilemma the best that Supervisors Molina, Antonovich and Knabe can do? Is that what they really want?
Perhaps the County Board of Supervisors should remember that every county voter and taxpayer is their constituent, and that a favorable vote to have a sales tax measure doesn’t mean an endorsement—it just empowers the will of the people and the right to choose on this issue. The rightful battles to create transportation projects that benefit the entire county—and are located throughout the entire county—won’t go away.
The political rivalries between the five county supervisors and the Mayor of L.A. have some legitimacy, but at this immediate time it’s the County Board of Supervisors who the voters will point to and blame for our failure to improve our freeways and mass transit. The “five kings” of L.A. County should remove their crowns long enough to listen to the voters, because it’s the voters who deserve the right to choose the 21st century transportation initiative for our region. (Kenneth S. Alpern, M.D. is the Co-Chair of the Council District 11 Transportation Advisory Committee and an occasional contributor to CityWatch.)(Maps by Darrell Clarke.) ◘
CityWatch
Vol 6 Issue 64
Pub: Aug 8, 2006
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