During his campaign last fall, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger heralded Proposition 53 saying “”we need a lot of infrastructure here in California.”” Schwarzenegger, however, proposed in January his budget revision to cut $3.4 billion in funds for road construction and improvements over the next six years.
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Never mind that San Diego’s uneven terrain often makes local roads unsafe for drivers and are strenuous on vehicles, or that regional medical expenses are projected to increase by almost $2 billion annually due to lung disease caused by heightened air pollution from idling cars. The Southern California Association of Governments has predicted that the funding withdrawal from planned projects will strike a significant blow to the state’s economy.
Southern California clearly needs to ease the congestion that contributes to higher business costs from hampered transportation. San Diego County’s planning agency projects 28,000 jobs will be lost as a result of the axed roadway project.
The proposal does not provide any funding for the Transportation Congestion Relief Program, a Proposition 42 mandate that qualified the state for more than $8 billion in federal clean-air funds.
While Schwarzenegger makes these cuts, he is hailing a multibillion-dollar proposal to develop the state’s use of hydrogen-fueled vehicles. Though an idealistic goal, it pales in comparison to the urgent needs of California motorists today.
The $15 billion state deficit needs to be closed for the sake of California’s financial ratings, but not at the expense of our business community or the safety of Californians.
