Feb 5, 2008 4:36 am US/Pacific
'Vote No On Proposition 91' Is Not A Typo
LOS ANGELES
The voting guide for Tuesday's election includes what may appear to be a strange argument in defense of Proposition 91, which puts restrictions on the use of gas taxes to ensure funding for transportation projects: "VOTE NO ON PROPOSITION 91. IT'S NO LONGER NEEDED." There is no rebuttal argument.
Don't be confused by this strange "defense" of the bill. It seems those responsible for creating Proposition 91 have withdrawn all support from the initiative and want voters to do the same.
A coalition was formed in 2006 that authored Proposition 91 with the understanding that the state Legislature had been exploiting a previously passed bill, Proposition 42 - the Transportation Congestion Improvement Act. They had mistakenly believed that money was being diverted from transportation funds into the state's general fund, according to former coalition member Jim Earp, who is also executive director of the California Alliance for Jobs.
While the coalition was creating Proposition 91, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and a bipartisan group of legislators put a similar measure on the November 2006 ballot. That measure, Proposition 1A, was approved by a 77 percent vote and specifically limited what became known as "Proposition 42 transfers."
"We feel that 1A really did what Proposition 91 was supposed to," Earp
said, adding that voting in favor of Proposition 91 "would just be a few
more nails in the coffin lid."
There are still some who support Proposition 91 however. After the coalition that wrote it withdrew their support, the Southern California Transit Advocates stepped in.
"One-A tightened the loophole [in Proposition 42 that had precipitated Proposition 91 being written], but 91 closes it almost completely," said Kymberleigh Richards, public and legislative affairs director for the Southern California Transit Advocates.
"Mr. Earp made a deal with the Legislature to get 1A on the ballot. He agreed to turn his back on 91. Now he's doing the absolute minimum he can," he said.
(© 2008 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)
