Written by Will Seykora
Many Californians remember the passage of the Gas tax in 2017. You may also remember the campaign to repeal the gas tax in 2018. However, all Californians can tell that despite the promises of better roads and new infrastructure, nothing has changed. California roads are still pothole-ridden, bumpy, and in some cases dangerous, despite the legislature bringing in about $16 billion in gas taxes and vehicle fees as a result of Senate Bill 1, the bill that enacted the gas tax to begin with.
Caltrans now says it’s going to need roughly $122.9 billion over the next ten years “to maintain the existing assets.” This has drawn much criticism from lawmakers like Sen. Patricia Bates (R-Laguna Niguel), who is the Vice Chairwoman of the Senate Transportation Committee. “It’s an insult to California’s drivers to force them to pay the nation’s highest gas taxes and then say it’s not enough, especially at a time when Sacramento is supposedly enjoying a budget surplus,” Bates said.
Newsom’s only proposal has been to add another $2 billion for road and bridge projects over the next seven years, not including extra money that would be needed for Los Angeles to be ready to host the 2028 Olympics. With all these talks about adding funding to better our roads Californians statewide are now left wondering where the money is coming from. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and unconstitutional lockdowns in California, the state lost out of billions of dollars of tax revenue from the gas excise tax. Newsom’s budget notes that over the next four years funding for road and bridge projects is expected to be $1.5 billion less than anticipated pre-pandemic.
For now, Californians can only hope that with the multi-billion dollar surplus the legislature is enjoying this year comes an improvement to our roads. However, with a track record like California has, hopes are dimming for any change to come to California streets.
Photo via OCregister
