According to a UC Berkeley poll released Dec. 22, 52% of likely voters statewide would support either of two initiatives that hope to be placed on the ballot next November to repeal the gas tax that took effect Nov. 1, while 43% would retain the tax.
"The poll, conducted by UC Berkeley’s Institute for Governmental Studies, surveyed 1,000 California registered voters between Dec. 7 and 16," reports Erin Baldassari, who covers transportation for The Mercury News, on Dec. 21. The gas tax is one of many taxes and fees included in the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017 which the legislature passed with the bare minimum needed to meet the two-thirds supermajority requirement per Prop 13, on April 6.
Only the Bay Area supported the gas tax in the poll, with 60 percent stating they would oppose the repeal. By comparison, all other areas support repeal:
- Inland counties: 67%
- Other Northern California: 60%
- Other Southern California: 58%
- Los Angeles County: 51%
Repeal backers are also more committed. "Nearly all of those backing the law’s repeal say they strongly support its repeal, while three quarters of those opposed are strongly opposed," according to the IGS poll [pdf].
The repeal initiative backed by Assemblyman Travis Allen (R-Huntington Beach) "has yet to gather any signatures while a California Supreme Court case decides how the ballot language will be presented to voters," reports Baldassari.
A second effort led by former San Diego City Councilman Carl DeMaio has been certified by the attorney general, and DeMaio is gathering signatures, he said. DeMaio said it’s been easy to convince supporters to sign on.
A sign that only the Bay Area is "progressive?"
Support for the gas tax and other revenue measures in Senate Bill 1, which also funds public transit and bicycle and pedestrian facilities, may be more than a sign in believing in good roads and transportation, but perhaps the role of government in our lives. Explaining the widespread support found only in the Bay Area, Mark DiCamillo, the director of the poll, told Baldassari:
“It’s ground zero for the progressives in the state,” he said. “I think there’s just a bigger acceptance of (taxes) by voters here. They tend to view the importance of collective taxation as a way to make things better for everyone.”
The UC Berkeley IGS poll results are similar to the findings of the USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times poll conducted online among 1,504 Californians from Oct. 27 to Nov. 6.
"When asked their preference if the matter were put to a vote today, 54.2% of registered voters surveyed said they would cancel the tax and fee hikes, and 45.8% said they would vote to keep the increases in place," reported Patrick McGreevy for the Los Angeles Times on Nov. 10.
Hat tip to Chris Peeples.
FULL STORY: Repeal the new gas tax? California says ‘Yes!’ Bay Area voters say, ‘No way!’
New Poll Shows Californians Would Repeal 12-Cent Gas Tax Hike
On Nov. 1, fuel taxes increased for the first time in 23 years in California. Next November, Californians will likely decide whether to return those taxes to 1994 levels, as well as repeal other tax and fee hikes passed by the legislature in April.
California Poll: Voters Likely to Repeal 12-Cents Gas Tax Increase in November
It's not looking good for transportation advocates who want to retain over $5 billion in annual transportation funding made possible the passage of a bill last year that enabled the first gas tax increase in California since 1994.
California Gas Tax Repeal Wins Significant Judicial Victory
The effort to repeal tax and fee increases resulting from the state's first successful gas tax legislation in 28* years received great news from a Sacramento superior court judge who tossed the attorney general's misleading title for their measure.
The state-sanctioned urbicide of Austin
People don’t kill cities. Freeways do.
US to reduce Colorado River water deliveries to Mexico
A new Colorado Treaty amendment reduces Mexico’s Colorado River water allocation by 250,000 acre feet.
New Jersey’s second-largest city bans standalone data centers
Jersey City will continue to allow co-location facilities, such as those meant for research institutions that store their own data.
Amtrak not solely to blame for New Jersey commuter rail's unreliability, report finds
A new study from the Garden State Initiative found that NJ Transit’s budget grew 20% across a 4 year period, but reliability declined significantly over the same period.
EPA erases limits on planet-warming pollution from power plants
Under Monday’s plan, power plants would still have some limits on how much mercury, arsenic and other contaminants they can emit.
Phoenix announces new on-demand transit service, more frequent RAPID buses
Both new services will launch in October, and are part of Phoenix's Project Effective Access Solutions for Easing Congestion.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
Eagle County Government
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Nashville Planning Department
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
Journal of the American Planning Association