Funding available in California for street and highway maintenance comes primarily from gas tax revenue, supplemented by local agency general funds.   The gas tax revenue has been shrinking for years in proportion to the number of vehicles on the road, as fuel efficiency has improved and hybrid and electric vehicles have become increasingly common.  Senate Bill 1 was passed last year to bring revenue for maintenance by increasing the gas tax rate and by greatly increasing the registration fee for electric vehicles.  The increased revenue was dedicated to road improvements and repair by a related proposition which passed in June.   Since SB-1 started generating revenue, there has been a big push by local agencies to get road maintenance work going.  The good news is many residents have smooth pavement to drive on now.   The bad news is we have all had to suffer through the lane closures as the work is being done.   

Opponents to the tax increase have obtained signatures and qualified to put Proposition 6 on the California ballot in November.  Proposition 6 would roll back taxes to their pre-SB-1 levels, and shut off the flow of funds that has led to so many of the road improvement projects we have seen lately.   In their recent newsletter, MTC (the Metropolitan Transportation Commission of the SF Bay Area) has published an article urging California voters to vote no on Proposition 6 in November.   

I agree, and also urge you to vote no on Proposition 6.  Let's keep the funding coming so we can repair roads, build new facilities like the BART extension to San Jose, and fund bike lane projects through the Active Transportation Program.