Reforming Government Finance May Help Slow Sprawl

In this Sacramento Bee opinion/editorial, Weintraub argues that Assemblyman Darrell Steinberg's proposal, AB 680, is the most logical way to address regional and state growth. The proposal would amend a state law that distributes sales tax revenue to towns where purchases are made, rather than to towns with higher population. The state law contributes to urban sprawl, Weintraub notes, by enticing cities to support big business in their communities, while discouraging affordable housing. This inequality in revenue distribution drives up the prices of homes, forcing people to move farther out of urban centers to cheaper homes. Under Steinberg's bill, local sales tax revenue would be distributed based on population. Urban growth could be controlled, commutes shortened, and smog reduced. The state could then build more power plants without producing a net increase in smog. Steinberg's proposal will face heavy opposition from local officials, but it is the most sustainable way to curb regional and state sprawl, Weintraub concludes.