We already know that the roads in California are crap, right?
Well, they're about to get even crappier, thanks to Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Let's explain.
Back in January, during his ridiculous budget speech, Newsom made it clear that he is dead set on meeting 'affordable housing goals' across the state. This week, he announced that he wants California Housing and Community Development to speed up their timeline for communities to meet short-term housing goals from three years to two.
Newsom, according to the Sacramento Bee, promised to:
"...spend $1.75 billion to entice communities to build more."
"Our state's affordability crisis is undermining the California Dream and the foundations of our economic well-being," said Newsom, "Families should be able to live near where they work. They shouldn't live in constant fear of eviction or spend their whole paycheck to keep a roof overhead."
So now he has a new proposal, either meet these accelerated affordable housing goals, or he will take gas tax money away from cities and counties.
You read that right, he wants to take money from SB1, the gas tax passed back in 2017, and 'redirect' those funds if cities and counties don't meet his new housing goals.
Now wait just a second!
The entire point of SB1, the 'Road Repair and Accountability Act', was to fund road repairs, nothing else. It was supposed to invest $54 billion over 10 years for those projects, with half the money going to cities and counties and the other half going to the state to fix our roads, freeways and bridges.
On top of that, Proposition 69, which we passed with an 81% YES vote, was supposed to ensure that those transportation funds were placed in a 'lockbox,' so they couldn't be used for anything else.
Now, Newsom wants to change that.
Some Democratic lawmakers were shocked to hear that Newsom wants to 'redirect' money from SB1 if affordable housing goals aren't met.
Assemblyman Jim Cooper and Assemblywoman Cecilia Aguiar-Curry say it's 'disturbing' and a bad idea to link the two.
"I think the voters do have a certain expectation that those funds be used for what's promised, and now to change that mid-stream, that's going to rub a lot of folks wrong," Cooper told the Sacramento Bee:
Newsom is working with lawmakers right now to negotiate a budget deal, their deadline is June, and this new proposal promises to be a big part of his fight.
Photo: Getty Images