We
’re disappointed that City Council voted 4-0 with little
discussion to endo-rse SB 688, which would impose a $5 fee on
vehicles registered in Santa Clara County and direct the money to
the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Agency.
We’re disappointed that City Council voted 4-0 with little discussion to endo-rse SB 688, which would impose a $5 fee on vehicles registered in Santa Clara County and direct the money to the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Agency.
Given the current fiscal woes and management troubles at the VTA – it’s so bad that a civil grand jury recently recommended disbanding the current board of directors – it’s hard to justify giving any more money to the transit agency.
Given the low ridership on the light rail system, the sky-high subsidy rates the VTA needs for its current services, and the agency’s inexplicable and financially ruinous devotion to extending BART to San Jose – a project that will bankrupt the agency to build, not counting the substantial subsidies it will require to operate – there’s simply no way the VTA has earned the trust of taxpayers to the tune of an additional $56 million.
Especially distasteful is state Sen. Joe Simitian’s extortion-like tactic of demanding unanimous endorsement of Santa Clara County cities before giving the bill his backing. This played out in Gilroy with Councilman Charlie Morales switching his vote for the measure to gain 4-3 backing.
Demanding lockstep unanimity is not only unrealistic, it’s un-American and smacks of cowardice. It’s also not what Simitian was elected to do.
He was elected to represent his constituents, the good people of the 11th Senate district, which, by the way does not include Morgan Hill, Gilroy or San Martin.
Demanding the endorsement of every City Council in the county before he risks his own political neck, when his district does not include the entire county, is senseless. If the bill is good for his district, he should vote for it. If it’s not, he should oppose it. What the City Councils of Santa Clara County think is utterly irrelevant.
But that’s not the only vile aspect of Simitian’s tactic. That he would lean on his former colleague on the County Board of Supervisors, Don Gage, to twist arms in Gilroy to get this vote changed, is a rancid reminder of the kind of politics that repels voters from the political process.
The real root of this problem is our spineless state government. Until our legislators, including Simitian, we note, and our governor can find a way to balance the state budget without raiding funds that belong to local governments and public schools, we’re going to be asked to apply bandage after bandage to a wound that needs major surgery.
That surgery is getting state spending in line with current revenue. Unfortunately, that means making hard decisions and irritating voters – like police officers, firefighters, teachers and nurses.
Gov. Schwartzenegger claim-ed he was the man to get that job done – but he’s turned out to be no different than the politicians who already swarm the state house.
We agree with Councilman Larry Carr that solutions to road and traffic woes should be regional. However, until state government gets its house in order the answer should be no.
Write your representatives and tell them to fix California’s budget before they ask local taxpayers to tax themselves again. Tell them to vote no on SB 688.
