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League Joins San Diego Leaders to Support Rebuild California Plan - Prop. 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, 1E and Prop. 84

Posted on: Friday, 8 September 2006, 18:00 CDT

SAN DIEGO, Sept. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- The League of California Cities joined today with a coalition of San Diego leaders in endorsing the Rebuild California Plan -- the first blueprint to improve California's infrastructure in 40 years -- and urged voters to join them in voting yes on Propositions 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, 1E and Prop. 84.

"Cities and communities across California will benefit directly from these measures," said League President and Los Angeles Council Member Alex Padilla. "The San Diego area alone will see an influx of hundreds of millions of dollars and thousands of jobs. Every city and community in California wins."

Referring to California's rapidly growing population, Poway Mayor and SANDAG Chair Mickey Cafagna emphasized the importance of investment in transportation infrastructure for millions of Californians who are already estimated to spend half a million hours stuck in traffic each day. He stressed the importance of adequate roads, housing and schools as critical to Californians' quality of life.

Padilla and Cafagna made their remarks at a news conference held in San Diego at the League's 108th Annual Conference. They were joined at the news conference by a number of the region's experts on transportation, housing, trade and disaster preparedness, who all agreed that passage of the Rebuild California Plan and Prop. 84 is crucial to the future of the state.

The Rebuild California Plan would provide more than $470 million in one-time funding for transportation improvements in San Diego County, allow the region to seek a share of more than $8 billion for additional transportation projects, and secure nearly $40 million in annual funding for local projects. The League was an early supporter of the plan, and is encouraging all cities to support the package of measures.

"Proposition 84 helps ensure a safe, reliable supply of drinking water, and cleans up our beaches and coastal waters at a time when water and beach contamination is worsening, and state funds to help local agencies address these problems are running out," said Thomas Wornham, who serves on the San Diego County Water Authority Board. "Businesses, economies, and our public health depend on clean water, and Proposition 84 makes this possible."

Let's Rebuild California Chair Jim Earp welcomed the backing of the League and San Diego officials for the plan, which would allow the state to make steady improvements over the next 10 years to sustain our economy and our quality of life for the long term.

"Our coalition is growing because we've crafted a bipartisan plan that's also fiscally responsible," Earp said. "The Rebuild California Plan doesn't raise taxes -- it uses the taxes we already pay to repair and build the things we need. Using bonds for infrastructure is like taking out a mortgage to build a new roof -- you get out of the rain now, and pay for it over the long term."

The Rebuild California Plan includes: * Prop. 1A, a constitutional amendment that protects state gas tax revenues from being diverted for non-transportation purposes. * Prop. 1B, a measure to relieve traffic congestion, improve highway safety, air quality and port security by issuing $20 billion in bonds. * Prop. 1C, a measure to provide housing for low-income seniors, families, homeless and the disabled by issuing $3 billion in bonds. * Prop. 1D, a measure to repair, modernize and expand K-12 public schools, university and community college facilities by issuing $10 billion in bonds. * Prop. 1E, a measure to prevent catastrophic floods, protect water supplies and prepare for disasters by issuing $4 billion in bonds.

Proposition 84 -- the Clean Water and Coastal Protection Bond Act of 2006 -- provides $5.4 billion to ensure the availability of safe drinking water, improve local water supply reliability, strengthen flood protection, and preserve California's natural landscapes, including parks, lakes, rivers, beaches, bays, ocean and coastline.

League of California Cities

CONTACT: Megan Taylor, +1-916-705-6679, or Paul Hefner, +1-916-710-1368,both of League of California Cities

Web site: http://www.cacities.org/

Source: PRNewswire

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