| August 27, 2008 |
News Updates
California Transit Association Executive Director Joshua Shaw makes the case for public transit funding during a press conference July 23 at the State Capitol. The event was coordinated
by a coalition of organizations representing transit agencies, local governments, business leaders, planners and trade groups from throughout the state to protest the suspension of Proposition 42 funding that is reportedly under consideration as part of current negotiations to reach a 2008-09 state budget agreement.
by a coalition of organizations representing transit agencies, local governments, business leaders, planners and trade groups from throughout the state to protest the suspension of Proposition 42 funding that is reportedly under consideration as part of current negotiations to reach a 2008-09 state budget agreement.
Governor Looks to Raid Another Half-Billion Dollars from Transit: The Governor's office has released a document titled "August 2008-09 Update and Proposed Compromise" in an attempt to break the stalemate over the 2008-09 State Budget. This document contains revenue enhancements and cuts to close the $15.2 billion budget gap. Public transportation funding is yet again targeted, as the Governor proposes seizing the $250 million of spillover revenue that has matriculated since the May Revision, as well as the $317 million Conference Committee restoration to the State Transit Assistance (STA) program. This $567 million cut ($250m +$317m) would leave the STA program with a balance of $306 million. The Governor does not deem this as a cut since it is approximately the same funding level provided to in 2007-08. The Association's position has been to support the Budget Conference Committee action which provided the STA with $559 million. While the budget is currently in the possession of the Legislature, the fear is that the Governor may use his blue-pencil to line-item veto funding for transit should the Legislature not concur with his recommendation. We urge you to contact the Governor's office and your legislative delegation and ask them to maintain the $559 dedicated to the STA program. (August 22, 2008)
Climate Change the Focus of Associations Next Webinar: Our next webinar presentation will take a look at current developments with regard to AB 32, the California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006, and what it means for public transit. Among the invited presenters are Kurt Karperos of the California Air Resources Board, as well as Val Menotti of BART and Tim Papandreou of Los Angeles County Metro two association members who have been actively tracking the evolution of the AB 32 Scoping Plan and the work of the Land Use Subgroup of the Climate Action Team (LUSCAT). Mark your calendars for Sept. 3 at 2 p.m. and plan on taking part. (August 7, 2008)Task Force Issues Federal Reauthorization Principles: Following several months of deliberations, the Association's Federal Reauthorization Task Force has issued its recommendations regarding the development of an advocacy platform for the Association to pursue in coming negotiations at the national level. Chaired by Richard Bacigalupo of the Orange County Transportation Authority, the task force adopted a set of Federal Reauthorization Principles" that address 12 overarching priorities and 12 program/regulatory issues. This document was approved in concept by the Executive Committee at its July 18 meeting. The Association now seeks input and review from members at large. In order to help produce a final set of principles by the time of APTAs yearly meeting in September, please submit your comments to Legislative and Regulatory Assistant Sabrina Means (sabrina@caltransit.org) no later than August 15. (July 28, 2008)
Association Joins Statewide Coalition Demanding Preservation of Prop 42 Funds: The California Transit Association and three of its individual member agencies are among a coalition of 45 organizations that have collaborated on a letter urging members of the legislature to leave Proposition 42 revenues intact in the process of negotiating the 2008-09 state budget. (Click here to read the letter) In addition to BART, AC Transit and the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, the coalition includes organizations representing local governments, business leaders, planners and trade groups from through out the state. The statement emphasizes the economic short-sightedness of raiding Prop 42 funds while noting that voters in California
Conference Committee OKs Package for Floor Vote: The Budget Conference Committee acted late Tuesday night on the unresolved transit and other transportation funding items in the 2008-09 budget. They also closed the remaining items they could in all other policy areas, and sent a final version of the 2008-09 budget to the Floor of each House. On the main transit funding item, the committee voted for a "conference compromise" between the two House's versions: while the full $317 million Public Transportation Account restoration is maintained, and most of that is dedicated to the State Transit Assistance (STA) Program, $64.7 million of the PTA restoration was used to obviate the need for the loan to the PTA from the Traffic Congestion Relief Fund originally called for by the governor in his May Revise proposal. Thus, about $253 million in remaining funds is available to the STA Program, bringing that amount up from the governor's proposed $306 million to about $559 million. No action was taken to suspend Proposition 42 / Proposition 1A, so the full sales tax on gasoline amount (approximately $1.4 billion) is available to transit, the State Transportation Improvement Program, and city streets and county roads. On one hand, this is a positive action from the perspective that we were worried the Conference Committee might strip the entire $317 million from the PTA and use it to support the General Fund. However, considering that this final budget is highly unlikely to garner the necessary votes to be enacted, we are by no means done fighting to protect transit funding. (July 9, 2008)
Future of Transit Taking Shape: What should buses look and ride like in 2050? Santa Monica
Our Next Webinar!
Climate Change and Transit:
What the Fight
Against Global Warming
Means to Public Transportation
in California
Join us September 3 at 2 p.m.
for our newest
LIVE online interactive forum
Click here to register
View Power Point files
from the 43rd Annual
Spring Legislative Conference
Read official court documents
on the Association's lawsuit
to recover public transit funds
raided from the 2007-08