CA: Highway promises crumble as transit accounts are raided

Sac Bee ^ | 12/16/02 | Dan Walters

[NormsRevenge]

In May, as he symbolically began construction on a new Department of Transportation building in Los Angeles, Gov. Gray Davis hailed it as part of a "transportation renaissance" that he had begun.

"After decades of government inaction, my administration is working hard to relieve the transportation bottleneck," Davis said, citing a record level of highway construction in the state.

[NormsRevenge]

"We're making our roads wider, faster and safer," Davis said. "We're keeping our freeways free. And we're getting Californians moving again."

There's no doubt that California has seen a spurt of highway construction in the past few years. But even as he spoke, Davis was already beginning to shift billions of dollars out of funds set aside for transportation construction into the state's deficit-ridden general fund. And as the deficit worsens, Davis now wants to take billions more dollars that had been earmarked for transportation, leaving the construction program facing a growing deficit of its own.

Looks like lots of bumpy roads ahead. Can you say new gas and fuel taxes?

Maybe we could start a Pothole Adoption Program... and fill the potholes with bureaucrats.

[NormsRevenge]

Ping

[expatpat]

More and more, I think that Simon's loss to Davis was a gift from heaven!

[mad puppy]

One that raised eyebrows was a $30 million commitment for an interchange on Interstate 10 west of Palm Springs to serve an Indian casino that had contributed briskly to Davis' re-election campaign. Another was $60 million for a decrepit, inoperative railroad on the North Coast whose backers also had given money to Davis.

Unbelievable.

[dennisw]

That paragraph got my attention too! Dems are really just corrupt socialists, same as the ones in Italy who took a big hit ten years ago.

I wonder which connected and affirmative action contractors would have been hired for those projects?

[absalom01]

Looks like lots of bumpy roads ahead. Can you say new gas and fuel taxes?

That's exactly what they're going to try. You won't see Davis proposing a special tax to fund the pay raises he gave, er, sold, his pals in the guards union, no it'll taxes for popular essentials: roads, schools, libraries. Funds being fungible and all, it works out to the same thing.

We can't let him get away with it.

[snopercod]

Several months it was posted that Davis was raiding the transportation fund, even though a prior Initiative had specifically forbidden doing that. I can't remember the specifics.

[glorgau]

More and more, I think that Simon's loss to Davis was a gift from heaven

My opinion all along. If Simon had won, all you would be hearing about is the mean, cruel Republicans. This whole budget fiasco is going to remain a Democratic show.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

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[Mad_Tom_Rackham]

Looks like lots of bumpy roads ahead.

Yep. The Republicans need to do a better job of explaining to the public what it means when expenditures for capital assets (roads, etc.) are reduced in favor of expenditures for bureacratic salaries. The result is NO GROWTH, and a collapsing infrastructure, and eventually a second-world competitive base (see the UK).