Scouts West

Immediate Action Requested!

ACTION NEEDED: Senate Bill 1 (SB 1) (State Senator Jim Beall, D—San Jose) seeks to impose a nearly $4 billion new gas and car tax increase on all California motorists.

WHEN TO TAKE ACTION: ASAP! SB 1 is currently awaiting a hearing in the Senate Transportation and Housing Committee. That hearing will occur this Tuesday at 1:30 in Room 4203 in the State Capitol.

WHY: California is facing a transportation road maintenance backlog of $58 billion over ten years. Senator Beall has proposed new taxes that include: a 12 cents/gallon fuel tax, 20 cents/gallon diesel tax, and $38 annual new car tax on your vehicle registration. With California already having some of the highest gas taxes in the nation, adding billions of dollars of new taxes without even considering reforms is inappropriate. Billions of dollars of existing revenue, including cap and trade dollars and fees on truckers, can be easily diverted to road repair and maintenance and we can start fixing this backlog TODAY. The message is simple: why more taxes without spending reforms?

ACTION REQUEST: Contact State Senator Jim Beall. Conveniently, Senator Beall is both the author of SB 1 and the Chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee. Please inform him that you oppose SB 1 and why. His phone number is 916-651-4015.

My thoughts:
What happened to the billion dollar excess that our so called governor said we had? He also told us the state was solvent. Just in case the state hasn't figured it out yet businesses are leaving the state and the economy is still in the toilet, How come there always seem to be enough money to fund your social programs. This will affect the the people that have to travel distances to work, By raising the price of gas/diesel the transportation industry will pass along the cost to the public which will result in higher prices for goods and services therefore causing a double dip to the public. It will cost them more to drive to work to make money to support their families and it will cost them more just to provide for them. California already has the highest gas and vehicle registration fees in the country. What government forgets is this is NOT your money.

In addition to the gas tax these bills will also take away the monies from derived from taxes put into the OHMVR fund. this money is reserved for grants and other activities to enhance and or repair SVRA's and public off hi way vehicle recreational areas. The California legislature has the ability to take money from any place it deems necessary from any place in the government no matter what it is/was earmarked for.

" California has shifted from a state that prioritized infrastructure improvement to one that focuses on entitlement programs, public employee compensation and environmental policies that stifle economic growth.
Now that the bill is coming due for their failure to address infrastructure needs, the political class — like Nero — is fiddling while Rome burns. The governor and many lawmakers and local officials would prefer to put their energies into fighting the Trump administration on immigration policy. When it comes to infrastructure, the governor’s one contribution seems to be a slavish devotion to spending as much as hundred billion dollars on a bullet train that will serve few. This is serious money that would go a long way to improving California’s highways, bridges, dams, airports and public buildings.
The only solution to the infrastructure crisis that Sacramento seems to be able to come up with is to raise taxes on a population that is already bearing one of the heaviest tax burdens in the nation. Prioritizing spending is not in their vocabulary.

While America may appear to be hopelessly divided right now with both sides looking for opportunities to inflict harm on their political enemies, Californians have a right to demand that their leaders rise above this nonsense and focus on the pressing, immediate needs of all Californians.
Let’s not let the long-neglected Oroville Dam replace the Bear is the symbol for the State of California. It’s time to roll up our sleeves, meet with the Trump administration and start the work of rational governance. Everything else is a waste of time and energy."

The previous Quote is from an article written by Jon Copel for the OC Register