SAN DIEGO COUNTY, Calif. — Elected officials and employers hosted a news conference Thursday to speak out against the San Diego Association of Government's proposed $160 billion transportation plan. The proposed taxes that will fund this project include sales and mileage taxes.
The proposed taxes that will fund this project include a half cent sales tax, an MTS half cent sales tax, two cent regional fee for every mile driven, a new fee ($1.25 solo ride; $.65 carpool) for Uber & Lyft users and converting 819 miles of roadways into toll lanes.
“The message is clear from SANDAG they want to tax all San Diegans out of their cars and on to busses and trolleys, “said San Diego County Supervisor, Jim Desmond. “These taxes will hurt working class San Diegans, businesses and families, who can’t afford to live near where they work.”
Mayor Todd Gloria said he would ask SANDAG staff to provide funding alternatives for the county’s Regional Transportation Plan that do not rely on a county-imposed road usage charge.
“I have long supported SANDAG’s Regional Transportation Plan, as it aligns with my vision of giving San Diegans more sustainable ways to get around our region. However, the inclusion of a road usage charge is unnecessary, and we will be asking SANDAG staff to find alternative funding sources, Gloria said.
Gloria said he understands the principles behind a road usage charge, but says the region has not done enough to expand access to public transit.
"Residents must have feasible and accessible transportation alternatives other than a car for a road usage charge to be effective. With working families still reeling from the economic impacts of the pandemic, and given that this charge is not necessary for this bold transportation plan to be successful, it is the wrong thing to ask San Diegans to consider or even conceptualize at this time,” Gloria said.
According to SANDAG’s latest data about 3.5 percent of San Diegans use public transit on a daily basis. Opponents of the plan say with only 3.5 percent of San Diegans using public transportation, the large majority of San Diegans are left on the roadways.
SANDAG will vote Friday on a $160 billion transportation plan. The proposed project would be the most expensive transportation in history.
More about SANDAG's regional plan can be found at sdforward.com.
WATCH RELATED: 'Force everyone on to trolleys and buses'| Proposed road usage tax doesn't sit well with SANDAG boar (Dec 3, 2021)