It’s disappointing that the Gilroy City Council changed its
original 3-2
”
no
”
vote on endorsing SB 688, which would impose a $5 fee on
vehicles registered in Santa Clara County and direct the money to
the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Agency.
It’s disappointing that the Gilroy City Council changed its original 3-2 “no” vote on endorsing SB 688, which would impose a $5 fee on vehicles registered in Santa Clara County and direct the money to the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Agency.
City Council made the right decision in the first place when it voted not to endorse the bill. Given the current fiscal woes and management troubles at the VTA – it’s so bad that a civil grand jury recently recommended disbanding the current board of directors – it’s unfathomable to give more money to the transit agency.
Add the low ridership on the light rail system, the sky-high subsidy rates the VTA needs for its current services, and the agency’s inexplicable and financially ruinous devotion to extending BART to San Jose – a project that will bankrupt the agency – there’s simply no way the VTA has earned the trust of taxpayers to the tune of an additional $56 million.
Especially distasteful is state Sen. Joe Simitian’s extortion-like tactic of demanding unanimous endorsement of Santa Clara County cities before giving the bill his backing. The only thing more distasteful is Councilman Charlie Morales’ about-face in switching Simitian’s vote that allowed his tactic to work.
Demanding lockstep unanimity is silly. It’s even un-American. Simitian was elected to represent his constituents, the good people of the 11th Senate district, which, by the way does not include Gilroy.
Demanding the endorsement of every City Council in the county before he risks his political neck, is senseless. If the bill is good for his district, he should vote for it.
It’s worse that he would lean on his former colleague on the County Board of Supervisors, Don Gage, to twist arms in Gilroy to get this vote changed.
The real root of this problem is our spineless state government. Until our legislators (including Simitian) and our governor can balance the state budget without raiding funds that belong to local governments and public schools, we’re going to be asked to apply bandage after bandage to a wound that needs major surgery.
Getting state spending in line with current revenue means making hard decisions and irritating voters – like police officers, firefighters, teachers and nurses.
Gov. Schwarzenegger claimed he was the man to get that job done – but he’s turned out to be simply more of the same.
Here in Gilroy, it’s too bad that Morales, who rightly opposed this bill when it was first presented, caved to political pressure, endorsed budgetary bandages and politics as usual.
But it’s not too late. Write your representatives and tell them to fix California’s budget before they ask local taxpayers to tax themselves again. Tell them to vote no on SB 688.
Make contact
Charles S. Morales,
Gilroy City Councilman
P.O. Box 123
Gilroy, Ca 95021
(408) 682-8980 – pager
cm******@**********ca.us
Simon Salinas
State Assemblyman
District Office
100 West Alisal St., Suite 134
Salinas, CA 93901
(831) 759-8676
(831) 759-2961
As********************@*********ca.gov
