L.A. Could Lose $34.5 Million if Prop 6 Passes, Report Says

LOS ANGELES (CNS) - The city of Los Angeles could lose out on $34.5 million in funding for transportation projects this fiscal year and the county could lose more than $1 billion if Proposition 6 passes, according to reports set to be presented to the City Council today.

Prop 6 would cancel a 12-cent a gallon gas tax, a 20-cents-a-gallon increase on diesel fuel, and some new vehicle registration fees signed into law by Gov. Jerry Brown last year. The tax is expected to raise $5.5 billion annually for transportation and maintenance projects across the state.

Representatives of Metro and the Office of the Chief Administrative Officer are both set to speak before the council about the impacts Prop 6 would have on planned projects.

The CAO report states that potentially affected projects for the city include street and sidewalk repairs, Vision Zero pedestrian safety enhancements, and various capital improvements throughout the city.

Metro could lose out on more than $1 billion annually, which would impact numerous projects, including building the West Santa Ana Branch Transit Corridor to connect downtown Los Angeles to the Gateway Cities, expanding rapid bus routes on Vermont Avenue, adding more buses to the Orange Line and many others.

Repealing the tax has been a cornerstone of Republican John Cox's campaign for governor and is supported by a number of other GOP leaders in the state. They argue the tax costs a family of four more than $500 a year and hits working families and the poor much harder than the wealthy.

The City Council earlier this week approved a resolution opposing Proposition 6.

“Let's make no mistake about it, passage of Proposition 6 would be a disaster for Los Angeles and its residents,” Councilman Bob Blumenfield said before the vote.

Photo: Getty Images


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