Gas prices are up, traffic is down, and mass transit ridership has gone through the roof.
With all those issues on the table, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority board meets today with a big decision on its plate: Should voters be asked in November to raise the sales tax in Los Angeles County by a half-cent on the dollar for the next three decades to pay for $30 billion in mass transit and road projects?
Proponents think they have enough MTA board votes to get it done. But because members of the board and other officials have been arguing over how best to spend that money, the parochial fighting may tank the whole effort.
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If the sales tax is approved by voters, how would the money be spent?
The increase would raise the sales tax to 8.75% and be in effect for 30 years. The money generated, however, could be higher or lower than $30 billion depending on future spending habits of county residents.
Thirteen mass transit projects and 16 road projects would split the pot (see the chart). There would also be about $6 billion to be shared by all the cities in the county for their own projects.
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Would all the projects be completed with this money?
No. And this is an important point. The spending plan that the MTA has put together shows the estimated construction costs in 2008 dollars, even though inflation would probably boost the price tag because the work would unfold over many years. Even now, most of the projects on the list would still need state, federal and possibly private money to be finished.
It's also important to note that the sales tax revenues do not all show up at once -- they would flow into local coffers over the next three decades.
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Why so many projects?
Politics. A sales tax increase needs two-thirds support by voters to pass, and many local officials believe the only way to achieve that is to spread the benefits around. L.A. County covers 4,084 square miles and has more than 10 million people -- making it the most populated county in the nation, with a host of transportation needs.
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Is the sales tax definitely going to make the fall ballot?
No. If the 13-member MTA board votes to go forward with the proposal today -- and it appears that the seven votes necessary are there to do so -- the Legislature still must approve a bill, AB 2321, that would allow the county to take the measure to voters.
