MTA spending proposal sets $735M for Gold Line extension

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority almost doubled the maximum amount of funding earmarked for the Metro Gold Line if a proposed half-cent sales tax increase is approved by voters in November, according ...

[LSSJR]

The report "recommends", it does not guarantee. This is just a scam to get people to vote to increase their taxes thinking it will get the gold line extended. Mark my words, the tax will get voted in and the extension won't be built.

[SGV Secession Now]

You are right LSSJR. Money talks, bullshit walks. No more carrots on a stick. We're not going to pass this tax and then have the tax revenue used to fund a subway to the sea or some other crap again. This time we want the gold line built up front or forget it. They "promised" us money to fix the 10/605 interchange and then raided it to fix up the 101 over there in the San Fernando Valley. So remember this:

No Gold Line; then no sales tax and No Toll lanes! Refuse taxation without representation. Don't buy big ticket items in LA County, use the internet. And just revolt and disregard the toll lanes. If you get a ticket don't pay. It will only work if everyone joins in.

We need a succession movement from Los Angeles now. Those criminals will keep riding us for taxes until we're dead.

Who ever puts together a succession movement from Los Angeles will get honored with a statue at both ends of the SGV. The SGV has enough money to become the next Orange County and can be great if we use our money on ourselves. We should annex the unincorporated areas of LA that are a blight in our communities, fix them up and have nothing to do with Los Angeles County except maybe contract with them for emergency services when needed. We pay an arm and a leg for those services anyway.

It is as clear as day now. The SGV makes the money. We pay taxes. LA country takes money. They are tax takers. We give; they take and give it to anyone in LA County but us. That is the only relationship we have with LA County. Most recently they have been bullied by the San Fernando Valley mafia after this area ran a successful succession movement. Good for them, bad for us.

These bastards in LA City Hall and at the MTA think we are too complacent and stupid to put together a succession movement. LA County and those city hall bribe taking crooks think we are nothing more than a bunch of do nothing aging W.A.S.P’s coupled with gullible money making immigrants. Let’s pack our shit and leave and see how well they do when the gravy train stops.

[Public Employee]

SCAMM !!!!!!!!

NO WAY !!!!!!!!!!

NO new taxes ! Cut existing programs 25% across the board !!

Enforce existing immigration laws !!!!!

Reduce the SIZE of Government. Government is extremely wasteful and inefficient.....I know from first hand daily observation of extreme waste and inefficency..........

[Can Trust Them]

"State Considers Raiding Voter Approved Funds"
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-arnol...

[NO WAAAAY]

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-arnol...

[LSSJR]

SGV, money from our valley does not just get sucked away by LA, it gets sucked away by the whole state. Mark my words, they are going to raid the transportation funds and gas tax to balance the budget in Sacramento and then the MTA just use that as the excuse not to fund the gold line. We need not to secede not just from LA, but from the whole state.

PS Every time I sign on to my mobile broadband, it puts my ISP locator somewhere else. Somehow it said I was in Garden Grove earlier today. I wonder where it thinks I am now.

[LSSJR]

Before my post even makes it on the screen, two people post a story confirming what I was saying. Amazing.

[SGV Secession Now]

That's funny maybe you're psychic. Well LSS, we have to start somewhere and getting away from LA seems to be the first logical step.

Too bad the LA Daily News doesn't serve the SGV. They helped get the secession movement on the ballot in the San Fernando Valley. I doubt the Pasadena Star News which is owned by the LA Daily News has the balls to do this for the SGV.

One thing is for sure, everyone is sick of getting screwed out here by LA County and something has to be done right now; not later. Apparently our regional politicians have heard us loud and clear as Drier, Molina, Antonovich and Solis all say they will not support the tax hike if the Gold Line isn't built. Garry Miller appears to be leading the charge for the SGV to get its share. Good for him. To the guy in BP, right on.

[SGV Secession Now]

When was the last time all those politicians agreed on something? Amazing.

[LSSJR]

SGV Secession Now wrote:

That's funny maybe you're psychic. Well LSS, we have to start somewhere and getting away from LA seems to be the first logical step.
Too bad the LA Daily News doesn't serve the SGV. They helped get the secession movement on the ballot in the San Fernando Valley. I doubt the Pasadena Star News which is owned by the LA Daily News has the balls to do this for the SGV.
One thing is for sure, everyone is sick of getting screwed out here by LA County and something has to be done right now; not later. Apparently our regional politicians have heard us loud and clear as Drier, Molina, Antonovich and Solis all say they will not support the tax hike if the Gold Line isn't built. Garry Miller appears to be leading the charge for the SGV to get its share. Good for him. To the guy in BP, right on.

SGV, I actually already voted with my feet. We bought a house in AZ and our home in Pasadena is now a second residence because we did not want to pay the taxes that I saw were coming for awhile.

[David G]

Be VERY suspicious of MTA dangling the promise of funding the Gold Line in order to secure a tax increase. This is all too similar to the classic Bond Measure which "guarantees" funds to be spent for a specific purpose - while allowing the 95% base budget to be cut and used elswhere. Don't be duped...

[VoR]

David G wrote:

Be VERY suspicious of MTA dangling the promise of funding the Gold Line in order to secure a tax increase. This is all too similar to the classic Bond Measure which "guarantees" funds to be spent for a specific purpose - while allowing the 95% base budget to be cut and used elswhere. Don't be duped...

Well, that may or may not be true. I wouldn't know. But that scenario you just described takes nothing away from the promise regarding the Foothill Extension. So how does that ''dupe'' anyone who wants the Gold Line to move forward?

I'm not a fan of the MTA by any means.... I'm just not sure why someone who was already willing to support the tax, in exchange for ensurance of the Gold Line extension, should necessarily be wary of your scenario about what ELSE the MTA does with their budget.

[LSSJR]

VoR wrote:

<quoted text>
Well, that may or may not be true. I wouldn't know. But that scenario you just described takes nothing away from the promise regarding the Foothill Extension. So how does that ''dupe'' anyone who wants the Gold Line to move forward?
I'm not a fan of the MTA by any means.... I'm just not sure why someone who was already willing to support the tax, in exchange for ensurance of the Gold Line extension, should necessarily be wary of your scenario about what ELSE the MTA does with their budget.

Very simple, the MTA takes the tax money, uses it for items they are already committed to, and takes the money they would have spent anyway on those projects and spends it elsewhere. It is a shell game just like the lottery. All the money the lottery contributes to education just allows the state to take the money they would have been required to spend anyway under the formulas and spend it on other things. No net increase in funding to education.

[VoR]

LSSJR, I appreciate your paraphrasing and explanation of what David G said. But I didn't have a problem understanding the scenario he described.

He did suggest that people are being ''duped,'' though, which makes a veiled implication that the Gold Line extension won't be built no matter what. The implication isn't consistent with the scenario he gave, and that's what I was addressing.

I believe people understand that the MTA has us by the you-know-whats regarding the Gold Line. And if they cast a vote in favor of the half-cent sales tax increase, they are doing it because they're willing to pay that price to secure the extension's completion. That's why I'm saying there's no dupe going on. We get it. But we're not the ones holding the cards. The MTA is.

[LongTermer]

Asking SGV voters to approve a 1/2% sales tax increase for transportation projects is a bit of "leap of faith". I do not trust the MTA to follow-through on their proposals.

Will the "earmarked" taxes be returned to SGV projects by the same % that it was collected from residents. Will the "special" 1/2% tax be rescinded once the Gold Line is complete to Claremont?

I'll be voting NO !

[LSSJR]

VoR wrote:

LSSJR, I appreciate your paraphrasing and explanation of what David G said. But I didn't have a problem understanding the scenario he described.
He did suggest that people are being ''duped,'' though, which makes a veiled implication that the Gold Line extension won't be built no matter what. The implication isn't consistent with the scenario he gave, and that's what I was addressing.
I believe people understand that the MTA has us by the you-know-whats regarding the Gold Line. And if they cast a vote in favor of the half-cent sales tax increase, they are doing it because they're willing to pay that price to secure the extension's completion. That's why I'm saying there's no dupe going on. We get it. But we're not the ones holding the cards. The MTA is.

I have to disagree. The point of the initial comment is even if we pass the tax, there is no guarantee they will actually build the gold line extension. I stand by and reiterate my prediction: the tax will pass, the gold line extension will never happen. If you remember, the MTA tried to kill the original gold line and steal the funding, but the building of the project and the funds were diverted to a special gold line construction agency that actually built the line. Go ahead and pass the tax, but if your reasoning is that it will be worth paying the tax to get the gold line extension, you will have been duped.

[VoR]

So will everyone who doesn't actually want the Gold Line to go through. There are a few out there who wouldn't want it even if it got built for free, and I've heard some nutty reasons behind hating it. You bet they'll be campaigning against a tax increase too. I know they'll say it's about the tax, but for them it'll really be about stopping the Gold Line itself. Hell, I'd wager they'd campaign FOR the tax if the MTA promised Gold Line would NOT be built!

Resonding on your question, not sure if you're just being sarcastic there. But obviously no, the tax wouldn't just be automatically rescinded. It's not some special temporary tax assessment like you sort of said.

[VoR]

LSSJR wrote:

<quoted text>
I have to disagree. The point of the initial comment is even if we pass the tax, there is no guarantee they will actually build the gold line extension. I stand by and reiterate my prediction: the tax will pass, the gold line extension will never happen..

That's cool. We can agree to disagree on that, because I didn't get what you just said from David's statement at all. I just wanted him to explain what he meant. You're giving an added opinion on top of that, and I get it, it's quite valid. I'd personally want to see it set in stone and written in blood before I consider voting to pass the tax. If it were, yeah I would consider it. I think it needs to come through.

I don't like that MTA backs us into this corner, but at the same time I feel Gold Line needs to happen. Sucks that we're being put in this position.

[VoR]

Post before the last was responding to LongTimer, sorry.

[just Dave]

Seems to me we've already got high sales taxes and high income taxes, plus plenty of property tax revenue due to inflated real estate prices. Does anybody really believe that giving those guys more of our money will actually solve anything? Count me among the skeptics.