Will Kempton, former Caltrans chief under Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger who subsequently headed the Orange County Transportation Authority, now heads Transportation California which has proposed an initiative to tax vehicles to fund infrastructure.
"Earlier this year, Kempton was named executive director of Transportation California, which advocates for increased infrastructure investment," writes Ryan Holeywell.
Kempton and his group are backing a ballot initiative to shore up transportation funding in the Golden State. Last month, Transportation California filed paperwork with the state's attorney general for the "California Road Repairs Act of 2014."
This transportation 'option', as funding strategies are typically called, is different from most measures discussed here, including state gas taxes, including excise taxes and wholesale taxes, road tolling, and vehicle-miles-traveled fees. The method chosen is to restore the vehicle license fee (VLF) - a type of property tax based on the resale vale of the vehicle, to 2%. It has been .65% since his former boss, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, reduced it as he promised in the recall election of then-Gov. Gray Davis. More detail can be found on last month's post on the initiative.
An advantage of the VLF is that it is a progressive tax, unlike the regressive gas tax. A disadvantage is that it makes for a very poor 'user fee' - the tax is the same whether the vehicle is driven 100 or 10,000 miles a year.
Kempton ruled out gas taxes, calling them unpopular. Besides, the Golden State already has the highest state gas tax @53.5 cents [PDF].
Transportation California's polling confirms that an increase in the vehicle license fees would gain more traction with voters than a gas-tax hike or a vehicle-miles traveled (VMT) fee. (Kempton says a VMT fee may be a long-term solution but isn't politically viable today.)
Their initiative, while awaiting titling by the state attorney general's office, is far from a done deal, as their website indicates.
We want to make it perfectly clear to everyone receiving this notification that Transportation California and the Alliance for Jobs, along with our coalition of interested parties, has NOT made a final decision to pursue such a measure in 2014. We are simply keeping our options open.
FULL STORY: California Has a New Infrastructure Advocate
California Ballot Measure Will Propose New Fee to Fund Roads
Would you be willing to increase the annual license fee you pay on your vehicle if the funds were to go to road repair and expansion? That's the question Californians will be asked to decide if the Road Repairs Act qualifies for the Nov. 2014 ballot.
Brown vs. Brown on the Value of California's Initiative Process
That's Calif. Gov. Jerry Brown and former Calif. Assembly Speaker Willie Brown. In two unrelated L.A. Times articles, Gov. Brown credits the initiative system for making the state governable while former speaker Brown is opposed to direct democracy.
Columbus, Ohio's High-Frequency Transit Future Up for Vote in November
Despite being the nation’s 14th largest city, Columbus, Ohio has no high-capacity transit. That could change this November as city officials put a levy before voters that would provide $6.2 billion by 2050 to fund an ambitious bus rapid transit system.
Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
In Urban Planning, AI Prompting Could be the New Design Thinking
Creativity has long been key to great urban design. What if we see AI as our new creative partner?
Cal Fire Chatbot Fails to Answer Basic Questions
An AI chatbot designed to provide information about wildfires can’t answer questions about evacuation orders, among other problems.
What Happens if Trump Kills Section 8?
The Trump admin aims to slash federal rental aid by nearly half and shift distribution to states. Experts warn this could spike homelessness and destabilize communities nationwide.
Sean Duffy Targets Rainbow Crosswalks in Road Safety Efforts
Despite evidence that colorful crosswalks actually improve intersection safety — and the lack of almost any crosswalks at all on the nation’s most dangerous arterial roads — U.S. Transportation Secretary Duffy is calling on states to remove them.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Appalachian Highlands Housing Partners
Gallatin County Department of Planning & Community Development
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie