Local Government, Public Safety, Transportation and Transit Leaders Submit 1.1. Million Signatures to Qualify Ballot Measure to Stop State Raids of Local Government and Transportation Funds

Measure Aimed for November 2010 Statewide Ballot Would Protect Funding for Local Public Safety, Emergency Response, Transportation, Transit and Other Vital Local Services

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 29, 2010   
 
Sacramento, CA – Today, a coalition of local government, transportation, business, public safety, labor and public transit leaders announced they were submitting approximately 1.1 million signatures to county elections offices throughout the state to qualify the Local Taxpayer, Public Safety and Transportation Protection Act of 2010 (AG Initiative #: 09-0063) for the November 2010 ballot.  The measure closes loopholes to prevent the State from taking, diverting or borrowing local government, transportation and public transit funds.  

Local officials and other supporters will hold news conferences today and tomorrow to announce the submission of signatures  in the following cities:
•    San Diego (4/29)
•    Santa Ana (4/29)
•    Fresno (4/30)
•    San Jose (4/30)

By submitting 1.1 million signatures, the coalition is all but assured to have the required 694,354 valid signatures to qualify a constitutional amendment for the statewide ballot.  Counties will now begin the process of validating the signatures, and each county will turn in its results to the Secretary of State as soon as they have finished. The deadline for the Secretary of State to certify measures for the November ballot is June 24.

“More than 1 million California voters have signed the petition to stop State raids of local government and transportation funds,” said Chris McKenzie, Executive Director of the League of California Cities and Co-Chair of Californians to Protect Local Taxpayers and Vital Services.  “A good number of our signatures came from a massive volunteer effort, with hundreds of city officials spending their own personal time collecting signatures.   We will now turn our attention to educating the voters to support this initiative to protect funding for the vital local services that they rely upon.”

California voters have overwhelmingly passed measures in previous elections to restrict state raids of local government funds, as well as to dedicate gasoline taxes to transportation and public transit improvements and services.  Despite this, State politicians have exploited loopholes in the law and used
legally questionable tactics to borrow and raid billions in local government, transit and redevelopment funds this year alone, and billions in past years. Coupled with the downturn in the economy, state raids and borrowing of local funds are contributing to severe cutbacks in local police and fire, parks, libraries, street and road repair, public transit and other local services.

“Reduced revenues are putting a strain on front-line fire protection, emergency response, state mutual aid and public safety services,” said Sheldon Gilbert, Alameda County Fire Chiefs and President of the California Fire Chiefs Association. “We must pass this measure to prevent future state actions that erode local public safety funding.”

If passed, the Local Taxpayer, Public Safety, and Transportation Act of 2010 would:
•    Prohibit the state from borrowing local government property tax funds which are vital for public safety and other local services.
•    Prohibit the state from borrowing or taking gasoline taxes which are dedicated to transportation and transit improvements and services.
•    Prevent the taking of locally levied taxes, including parcel taxes, sales taxes, and other locally imposed taxes that are currently dedicated to cities, counties and special districts.
•    Prohibit the State from taking, borrowing or redirecting existing funding for public transit, including existing taxes on diesel fuel dedicated to the Public Transportation Account.
•    Add additional constitutional protections to prevent the state from raiding redevelopment funds or shifting redevelopment funds to other state purposes.
 
Josh Shaw, Executive Director of the California Transit Association and Co-chair of the coalition said:  “Local transit agencies up and down the state are cutting routes for buses, shuttles and commuter trains as a direct result of continued state raids of local transit funds.  These cuts are creating real hardships for working families who have no other mode of transportation to and from work, school, health care appointments and other life responsibilities. The decisions made in Sacramento are harming real people who rely on local services. Enough is enough.”

Concluded McKenzie: “We know voters value their local services and strongly oppose state raids of their local tax dollars that are supposed to fund those services. We’re confident voters will pass this measure in November.