Dear Members of the California State Legislature,
The
benefits of safe, clean, convenient public transit for our health, our
environment, our pocketbooks, and our quality of life couldn’t be
clearer.
Unhealthy
air pollution from our overdependence on oil has harmful public health
and economic impacts throughout our state, and public transit is one
tool to reduce pollution caused by cars and trucks. Public transit is
an essential component of meeting our commitments to AB 32, as the
Governor’s Climate Action Team found that we need 18 million metric
tons of pollution reductions through smart growth and intelligent
transportation.
In
addition to the environmental benefits of public transit, California’s
drivers need a way out of the gridlock on many of our roads and
highways that will only get worse as our population grows. And when gas
prices hover above $3.50 a gallon, drivers deserve alternative options
to expensive commutes.
Finally,
public transit provides independence for seniors, the disabled, youth,
and other travelers who are physically or economically unable to drive.
Transit provides critical access to jobs, education, services, and
commerce across the state.
We
are writing to express our strong support for increasing state
investments in California’s local and regional public transit systems.
Therefore, we urge the California State Legislature to reject
the Governor’s proposed cuts to public transit funding in this year’s
budget. In particular, we urge the Legislature to protect funding for
transit agencies’ critical operating budgets, and also ensure that
enough capital funds are available to prevent delays in new transit
investments proposed in the STIP.
In
addition, we want to express our strong support for the Assembly budget
subcommittee’s long-term proposal for increased, stable funding for
public transit in future budget years. The Legislative Analyst’s Office
estimates that the Spillover will generate nearly $8 billion over the
next ten years. We support the Assembly’s proposal to safeguard
Spillover revenue by folding it into Prop 42, if and only if public transit receives a far greater share of total transportation revenue.
Under
the Assembly’s proposal, all transportation interests win, because
cities, counties, state-funded roads, and most importantly, public
transit systems, would receive more state support than they would if
the Spillover continued to be diverted to other purposes. The Assembly
proposal folds the substantial projected revenue from the State
Spillover into Prop 42 funding protections, and changes the formulas to
increase public transit’s share of transportation funding to 35 percent.
For
far too long, public transit has been an afterthought in the state
budget-- the recipient of few funding allocations and the subject to
frequent raids. This year you have the opportunity to change our
state’s relationship to public transportation. Please demonstrate that
California is serious about meeting our global warming commitments,
relieving future traffic congestion, and keeping all Californians
mobile. Please do everything you can to protect public transit funding
in this year’s budget, and support the Assembly subcommittee proposal
to guarantee stable, long-term funding for public transit in future
budget years.
Sincerely,
Emily Rusch
Advocate
California Public Interest Research Group (CALPIRG)
Carli Paine
Transportation Program Director
Transportation and Land Use Coalition (TALC)
