Results tagged “measurer”

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa tomorrow is expected to announce his plans in building support for something he calls the "30/10" push to accelerate Measure R transit projects--the voted in half cent sales tax increase--from being completed in 30 years to 10 years.

A survey conducted on behalf of Metro found that residents still support Measure R, which boosted LA County's sales tax up a half cent in order to raise $30 to $40 billion for transportation projects. However, it also found that people feel projects are moving too slowly to get the region out of gridlock. According to the LA Times, the poll of 605 registered county voters finds (with a plus or minus margin of 4%)...

On July 1st, our taxes in LA County increased a half penny on the dollar to fund a mix of transportation projects, whether they be rail, highway or something else, thanks to Measure R, which was voted in by the public last November. This Thursday morning, Metro will hold a Measure R committee meeting (.pdf) to discuss aspects of that and part of that discussion will be the possibility of moving up the timelines of three projects.

Groundbreaking is scheduled to take place this morning on Metro's Orange Line extension, which will expand the dedicated busway that currently runs from North Hollywood to Warner Center. The $215.6 million extension "is the very first project to begin construction under the new voter approved Measure R half-cent transportation sales tax," reports abc7.

Yesterday Metrolink revealed their plan to combat their "most pressing safety and organizational issues," reports the Glendale News-Press. The findings were presented to the transit company's Board of Directors by a combined team of experts concerning trains and oversight; the pursuit of greater safety at Metrolink largely stems from the aftermath of September's Chatsworth crash--the deadliest accident in Metrolink's history.

Although it was predicted to win the day after the election, Measure R, the half-cent tax increase that is expected to raise $30 to $40 billion over the next 30 years for transit projects, finally passed today with 100% of the votes tallied.

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the single largest contributor to Measure R, was questioned yesterday for donating close to a million dollars to support the campaign to pass the initiative that proposed raising the county's sales tax half-cent for transportation projects, including a possible subway rolling down Wilshire Blvd. with a stop right outside the museum.

Although expected to pass, it's still extremely close to call. Measure R, which will raise LA County's sales tax a half-cent on the dollar for transportation, is winning by 27,630 votes. It needs two-thirds to pass and it's currently less than a percent higher than that at 67.65%. "At this point, the majority of absentee and provisional ballots have been counted," Bottleneck blogger Steve Hymon notes.

Measure R, the ballot initiative that sought to raise LA County's sales tax a half percent on the dollar barely won by a 1% margin--it needed a two-thirds vote. Even though about 3.5 million county residents voted, over a million of those voters opted to not vote for the measure that is expected to bring in $40 billion in transportation funding over the next 30 years.

In what amounts to the dumbest reason to oppose a measure, the city's Engineers and Architects Association that represents 10,000 employees has come out against Measure R, the half-cent sales tax ballot initiative to raise $40 billion for transportation projects: "Much of the reason has to do with the fact that we don't trust this mayor," Union head Bob Aquino is quoted saying the Daily News' political blog. "We've seen him increase every fee that Angelenos pay in this city and then misuse the money. In all candor, our board feels that when we're talking about $40 billion, that we aren't sure the money will be used as they say."

       

A group of UCLA students, under the auspices of Bruins for Traffic Relief, hit the streets last Friday to garner support for Measure R, the countywide ballot initiative that would raise the sales tax a half-cent in order to raise an estimated $40 billion for transit over the next 30 years. "As the largest trip-attractor on the Westside, with a daytime population of 55,000, UCLA stands to greatly benefit from new transportation options on the Westside," e-mails Juan Matute, an urban planning student and director of the UCLA Sustainable Resource Center.

Major one-up for Measure R, the proposed half-cent sales tax increase that would go towards transportation projects. The LA Times says it's bad timing with the current economy, but now is the time, despite what the naysayers claim. "The official opposition to Measure R comes mainly from politicians from far-flung parts of the county who claim that they wouldn't get their fair share of the tax money; they tend to favor a regional distribution scheme in which funds would be split evenly. That's not just parochial, it's naive. A well-designed transportation network relieves bottlenecks in places where demand is greatest, and such high-density corridors aren't evenly distributed on the map."

In a scathing editorial, the Long Beach Press-Telegram is telling people to vote no on Measure R, the LA County ballot initiative that will raise the sales tax one half-cent in order to raise $40 billion over 30 years for transportation projects. Complaining that Southeastern LA County will not get much, if any, of the funding (did they even speak up like the San Gabriel Valley did?) and focusing their attention on West LA commuters and the proposed Subway to the Sea, the paper seems to ignore that their region's constituency ties for second in usage of said subway. And this is only the beginning in the fight over Measure R.

For those who have been following Assembly Bill 2321, you can take a breath of relief. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed the bill into law yesterday afternoon, allowing Metro to place a half-cent sales tax increase proposal on this November's ballot. It will take a 2/3rds vote to pass and if it does, it could raise $30-40 billion in funding for transportation projects over the next 30 years. On the ballot, it is known as Measure R and a website from the proponents will be launched soon. Metro, who obviously wants initiative to pass, has already launched a website to, uh, inform the public about the measure, but nothing, uh, more.

Political consultant Ace Smith, who has worked for Mayor Villaraigosa and ran Sen. Hillary Clinton's campaign in several states including California, has been hired to run the campaign for Measure R, which will raise LA County's sales tax by a half-penny to pay for transportation projects if passed by voters in November.

       

For about a year Metro has been meeting with the public over the Westside Extension Project (they have a Facebook group too), usually dubbed as the "Subway to the Sea." In the Fall of 2007 Metro met with the public to talk about initial conceptual designs. Metro planners came back to the public in the Winter with 17 options (or alternatives as they call them) which included light rail, aerial rail, bus rapid transit and subway among them. Then in the late Spring, they focused the routes down into a set of seven options including two options that legally must stay through the process to the end: no build and transit system maintenance (improvements at the street level).

With one more step to go until the half-cent sales tax increase proposal goes on the November ballot, Metro has launched an extensive website to inform the public what a "yes" vote would mean: "Measure R is a half-cent sales tax increase that will provide the local resources to finance new transportation projects and accelerate those already in the pipeline. Over 30 years, it is expected to generate $40 billion for countywide congestion relief projects – and attract additional state and federal matching funds that will otherwise go to another county. The average cost is $25 a year per person." (thanks, Curbed LA!)

It is now up to state legislators to pass AB 2321, and if they do, the half-cent increase in sales tax to 8.75% approved by the Metro board today will be put in the hands of Los Angeles County residents when they go to vote on election day this November. If the sales tax proposal, now called Measure R, is approved, it could raise as much as $40 billion over the next 30 years for public transit and road projects. Two members voted against the sales tax: LA County Supervisor Mike Antonovich and Duarte City Councilman John Fasana. Supervisor Gloria Molina abstained from voting.