On Nov. 4, Californians will have a list of 12 state propositions to mull over, focusing on issues from gay marriage to alternative energy to veterans’ benefits.
On the local level, Santa Barbara County voters will have several more measures to consider. However, only one of the measures will have a direct impact on the entire county: Measure A.
Measure A—formerly known as Measure D—proposes to continue an existing half-cent sales tax to fund countywide road repair, traffic relief, and other transportation improvement projects. It requires a two-thirds vote to pass.
The new measure is designed to continue funding transportation projects for the next 30 years, after its predecessor failed to garner the required two-thirds vote at the polls in 2006.
According to the Measure A website, measurea2008.org, prior to being assigned the “Measure A” designation by the elections office in February of this year, work was done under the heading “Measure D Renewal.”
The Measure D Renewal process began in April 2007, when the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments Board of Directors directed staff to proceed with developing a renewal ballot measure for the November 2008 election.
More than 50 representatives from community organizations in the county helped to develop area-specific transportation investment plans. The groups began meeting in July of last year, and spent nine months considering the transportation needs and priorities of each region for the next 30 years.
In March 2008, the two advisory committees came to a consensus over how the potential funds would be divided between the county’s northern and southern regions. Shortly after, the measure was approved for the Nov. 4 ballot.
The biggest difference between Measure A and Measure D is that the new measure doesn’t propose a sales tax, said Santa Barbara County Association of Governments representative Gregg Hart.
“We want the voters to know that it isn’t a sales tax increase this time,” Hart said.
Measure A would extend, for an additional 30 years, the existing half-cent sales tax for transportation that was first approved by Santa Barbara County voters in 1999.
According to the measure language, Measure A would provide approximately $1.05 billion of estimated local sales tax revenues for county transportation projects if passed. About a third of the funds ($140 million) would go toward widening Highway 101 from four to six lanes south of Santa Barbara. The remaining funds, about $910 million, would be divided equally between North and South County, and then disbursed to cities based on population and need.
In North County, Buellton would get $9.9 million; Guadalupe, $12.5 million; Lompoc, $65.4 million; Santa Maria, $137.2 million; Solvang, $11.2 million; and $104.8 million would go to county and unincorporated areas.
Major North County projects that would be funded by Measure A include the Union Valley Parkway Interchange in Orcutt ($10 million), the widening of the Santa Maria River Bridge ($10 million), and the installation of passing lanes on Highway 246. For a complete list of proposed projects, visit measurea2008.org.
Measure A funds would also be used for public safety and road maintenance projects. For example, a minimum of $43 million would be set aside for local Safe Routes to School programs, transit services, and other alternative transportation projects.
In South County, the funds would be used primarily for alternative transportation projects, such as a regional bicycle and pedestrian program, a carpool and vanpool program, and a commuter passenger rail.
“Measure A better reflects the transportation priorities in different parts of the county,” Hart said.
He explained that the campaign is working hard to dispel any confusion about the new measure and emphasize its benefits. For example, only projects listed on the voter-approved transportation investment plan will be eligible for funding, he said.
Measure A would also generate an estimated $500 million of state and federal matching funds over the next 30 years.
“Measure A is a great example of co-funding because the state can’t afford to fund these projects on their own and neither can the county,” Hart said. “Measure A allows them to work together.”
Still, not everyone in the county is convinced that the measure will accomplish what it promises. “It’s a very intricate, convoluted issue,” said Justin Ruhge, president of the Lompoc Valley Republican Club.
He said that the claim that Measure A won’t increase taxes is a “straight-out lie.” By extending the tax to 30 years, Ruhge said, the financial burden on taxpayers is being increased by sheer volume of years taxed.
Along with costing too much overall, he said, Measure A allocates too much money to “needless” road repairs, bicycle paths, and buses, rather than focusing on the more important tasks of widening highways 101, 246, and 166.
“Plus, there’s too little money to do the job unless somebody comes forward from somewhere in the government with the matching funds, and that’s not likely,” he said.
Lastly, Ruhge said that he felt the taxpayers weren’t given enough control over allocation of the funds.
“The Santa Barbara County Association of Governments could change where the money goes to at any time with a two-thirds vote,” he said.
According to the measure language in the Santa Barbara County sample ballot, SBCAG can propose amendments to the transportation investment plan to “provide for the use of additional federal, state, and local funds, to account for unexpected revenues, to add or delete a project or program from the plan, to maintain consistency with the Santa Barbara County Regional Transportation Plan, or to take into consideration unforeseen circumstances.” Amendments must be passed by a two-thirds vote, and a formal public hearing must be held to discuss the matter in accordance with the California open meeting clause.
Also, the language states that SBCAG can’t act on an amendment for either North or South County unless it has been recommended to the board by the regional committee.
For a full copy of the Measure A language, which is labeled “Ordinance 5” in the sample ballot, visit sbcvote.com.
Contact Staff Writer Amy Asman at aasman@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Oct 30 – Nov 5, 2008.