SAN DIEGO — A “YES” to Measure G will raise the sales tax a half-cent to fund road and transportation improvements in San Diego County.
More than half of the money raised from Measure G will go to public transit. SANDAG oversees the projects and critics said they don’t trust SANDAG, while supporters said Measure G is a step toward a more sustainable future for the county.
CBS 8 sat down with Manny Rodriguez with the City Heights Community Group that’s part of “Yes for Measure G” and with San Diego County Supervisor Jim Desmond. Desmond used to be on the board for SANDAG and says “No” to Measure G.
Measure G supporters
Rodriguez and others argue that improving public transit will benefit even those who don’t use it.
“Even if you will never step foot on a bus or never step foot on a train, if you can get 10 people off the highway and into the bus- that's 1400 feet of gridlock removed just for you 2. We don't want to keep bulldozing neighborhoods for highways. We want public transit. We want less cars on the road. We want less smog in the air so that our kids have less asthma. That's why we support Voting 'Yes' on Measure G. It'll reduce congestion for everybody even if you don't use transit. And if you do use transit, it'll make it so much better," Rodriguez said.
Measure G opposition
Critics of Measure G are pushing back. They’re raising concerns over what they claim is SANDAG’s long track record of abandoned projects and misuse of taxpayer dollars. San Diego County taxpayers already pay a half-cent sales tax for SANDAG road projects and many are not done.
“I wouldn't give another dime to SANDAG because they don't keep their promises. They mismanage the money. They've got a history of mismanagement," Desmond said.
Promised projects from the 40-year sales tax that county voters passed in 2004 for highway and traffic improvements include widening Interstates 5, 8, 15 and 805 and Highways 52, 56, 67, and 78. Did they happen? A partial expansion has been completed on I-15 with an expansion underway on I-5. In fact, 15 promised projects from TransNet remain unfinished.(SEE GRAPH IN EMAIL)
Desmond says, “SANDAG, the entity who is going to be managing these dollars, has not kept their promise, has mismanaged the funds in the past. It's under FBI investigation right now for some of that mismanagement. So let's make them get their house in order first, and let them keep the promises of the past before they come to us and ask for any more money.”
“People who live in Alpine. People who live in Ramona, Julian, San Marcos, Oceanside and all the other outlying areas are paying for these things and not getting the benefit for the services or getting the road improvements they need," he said.
Is Measure G the solution to San Diego’s traffic and transportation troubles or just another costly promise?
Rodriguez says, “We can’t keep living with the status quo and Measure G gives us a new path forward.”
More about Measure G