Ventura County Poll: Transit & Road Levy (2003)

[bennyp81]

Bart Reed
User ID: 1606604 Dec 6th 3:15 AM

Los Angeles Times: Saturday, December 6, 2003

The Region:
Poll OKd on Levy for Ventura County Roads

By Gregory W. Griggs
Times Staff Writer

The Ventura County Transportation Commission agreed Friday to conduct a public opinion poll to gauge whether voters would be willing to pay more in local sales taxes to raise up to $50 million annually for overdue highway improvement projects.

The commission voted unanimously to spend about $35,000 to hire a Sacramento-based polling firm to help design a survey that would measure just how much people would be willing to spend to ease traffic congestion.

Projects affected by the tax hike would include the widening of the Moorpark and Ronald Reagan freeways in eastern Ventura County.

"I know as a Ventura County taxpayer, I'm tired of sitting in traffic not going anywhere because Sacramento doesn't have the money to spend to expand and modernize our roadways," said
commission Chairman Keith Millhouse, a Moorpark councilman.

More than 700 households, selected to mirror the demographics of registered voters, will be chosen for telephone surveys early next month, said Jeff Raimundo, a partner of Townsend, Raimundo, Besler and Usher, which has helped other California counties pass similar transportation tax measures.

Ventura County is the most populous county in the state that doesn't have a special transportation levy included in its sales tax, Raimundo said.

If two-thirds of local voters agree to raise the county sales tax a half cent from its current 7.25%, officials expect to collect about $50 million a year for road-improvement and transit projects.

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Los Angeles Daily News: Saturday, December 6, 2003

Poll to gauge transportation-tax support

By Rachel Uranga
Staff Writer

A polling firm was hired Friday for $35,000 to gauge support among Ventura County voters for a half-cent sales tax that would fund local transportation projects.

The tax would yield an estimated $50 million annually, which would be used for the $35.9 million widening of the 23 Freeway and the nearly $40.5 million widening of the Ronald Reagan Freeway, as well as other transit and rail services in the county.

If the measure passes, it's estimated that it would take less than a year to begin both freeway projects.

"The bottom line is the only way to get some of these projects funded is to take matter into our own hands," said Keith Millhouse, chairman of the Ventura County Transportation Commission.

Since July, the California Department of Transportation has suspended $107 million in funding for transportation improvements in Ventura County, including the widening of the 118 and 23 freeways.

"We are the largest county in the state of Calif-ornia without a sales tax for transportation," said Ginger Gherardi, executive director of the commission.

In a report to the board, Gherardi said that of the $2.8 billion allocated by the state for transportation improvement projects set to begin construction by June 2005, only $150 million is likely to be available next year.

And that money will more likely go toward covering
a shortfall in the state's general fund. Moreover,
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is proposing to cut an additional $800 million from the state's trans-portation funding.

"It is likely there will not be any relief until 2016 at the earliest," Gherardi said. "Congestion charts from the 118 and 23 show at least four hours of congestion in the morning and afternoon starting in 2010."

Rachel Uranga, [phone] [e-mail]

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Bart Reed
User ID: 1606604 Dec 6th 3:29 AM

The meaning for Los Angeles County: We will have to come up with $35,000 to $50,000 to poll L.A. County residents on the possibility of bringing up the Murray Bill SB-314 before the voters.

If Ventura, that is the last big county without a transit sales tax finds the voters in that very conservative part of the state would vote 2/3rds to increase their sales tax, it would give some
additional thought here is Los Angeles County.

Bringing a tax measure before the voters is a big undertaking. Besides the first step of undergoing countywide polling, huge funds must be raised to campaign for an election. In L.A. County, we would need to bring in at least $5,000,000.00.

This is real. This is showtime. This ISN'T printing up a few thousand fliers and handing them out on a street corner or selling some t-shirts. This is bigtime.

This relates to our efforts to pay for the four
of us attending the Transit Initiatives Conference
in Tempe, AZ. Besides coming up with money to pay
for our trip, we need Highly Educated Transit Advocates to organize our campaign.

So, please dig into your pockets and help us with
our Conference efforts. The tax deductable non-profit donation information is at the top of this bulletin board page. Please help!

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[bennyp81]

Bart Reed
User ID: 1606604 Jan 10th 2:49 AM

Los Angeles Times: Saturday, January 10, 2004

CALIFORNIA: Ventura County Voters Balking at New Levy for Road Improvements; Poll finds residents falling just short of the margin needed to approve a half-cent sales-tax hike to pay for projects.

By Catherine Saillant
Times Staff Writer

Ventura County residents don't like increased traffic congestion on their roads but are not ready to support the additional taxes necessary to fix the problems, a poll released Friday shows.

When asked if they would support a half-cent sales-tax increase to pay for improvements to the county's major highway and public transit systems, 64% of those surveyed said yes, 30% said no and 6% had no opinion, pollster Jeff Raimundo said.

That result is short of the 67% "yes" margin needed to pass a sales-tax increase, indicating a ballot measure probably would not succeed now, Raimundo told the Ventura County Transportation Commission.

Poll numbers usually need to be at 70% or higher for a ballot measure to succeed, he said.

Raimundo's firm, Sacramento-based Townsend, Raimundo, Besler & Usher, questioned 600 registered voters last month. The margin of error for the survey is 4.2%.

Survey results show that while support for a tax increase has grown in the past eight years � the last time transportation officials had queried voters � the county needs to do a better job explaining to residents how a supplemental tax source could make their daily commute better, Raimundo said.

A whopping 86% of those surveyed said they had no idea that transportation officials were planning long-term improvements to roads and highways.

"It's apparent people don't know what's going on in the county with regards to transportation," said Keith Millhouse, chairman of the transportation board.

Board members commissioned the poll to learn whether a November ballot measure seeking a half-cent sales-tax increase would have a chance to pass.

After hearing the results, the commissioners unanimously agreed to hold off on a decision until May. In the interim, they will launch a program to increase public awareness of the benefits of transportation improvements.

Other counties have had success with education campaigns, said Ginger Gherardi, the transit agency's executive director. Riverside County, for instance, passed a half-cent sales-tax increase for transportation projects in 2002 after conducting such a campaign, she said.

The commission will consider whether to conduct a follow-up poll after the March primary.

With a $15-billion statewide bond measure on that ballot, along with continuing financial uncertainty in Sacramento, voters' willingness to tax themselves could change quickly, Gherardi and Raimundo told commissioners.

The surveyed voters were most interested in seeing improvements to major highways that have become increasingly congested in recent years.

The highest support, 69%, came for widening congested sections of the Ventura Freeway between Thousand Oaks and Ventura. Respondents also strongly supported improvements to the Moorpark Freeway near Moorpark and Thousand Oaks, and the Ronald Reagan Freeway in Simi Valley.

Better timing of traffic signals, lower transit fares for seniors and citizen oversight of money spent also ranked high among those surveyed.

Overall, traffic congestion ranked as one of the biggest headaches for county residents. Forty-nine percent cited traffic relief as a priority, surpassed only by the 65% who cited "spending tax money more wisely" as their top concern.

Survey takers were far less worried about preserving farm land from development, with just 27% citing that as a concern.

The Transportation Commission asked about farm land preservation because the county Board of Supervisors is considering whether to place its own sales-tax increase measure on the November ballot.

Supervisors are hoping to create a countywide land-conservation district that would be funded by the tax dollars. Supervisor Steve Bennett sent a letter to commissioners asking them to consider combining the tax measures on the November ballot and splitting the revenue. But that suggestion appeared to receive little support Friday .

Gherardi said she is "reticent" because the county's proposed sales-tax increase would be in place for 10 years, while the transit board envisions a tax increment that would last for 30 years.

Raimundo's poll showed that just 30% of voters would support both if the competing tax measures were on the same ballot. Although his survey did not ask about a combined measure, Raimundo said that in his experience it would be a hard sell.

Commissioner Dean Maulhardt said the measure should focus on transportation issues only. "You start muddying it up with these other things, that's where problems arise," he said.

Bennett, however, said he would continue to press for a combined measure. "If they are both on at the same time, then both will suffer," Bennett said. "So it makes sense for us to consider for a while the benefits of making them one ballot measure where we split the revenue."

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Ken Alpern
User ID: 9272753 Jan 10th 7:29 AM

Sounds like the need to change the voting threshold to 55% (like it is for other issues like education), as well as the growing understanding by commuters that NOTHING in traffic relief is coming any time soon, will get things going either by this fall or next spring.

[bennyp81]

PForce
User ID: 0247944 Mar 19th 2:33 PM

THE REGION
Two Ways About It for These Truckers

Moorpark pursues alternate routes to divert big rigs from its congested downtown.

By Gregory W. Griggs, Times Staff Writer

Few people look forward to getting 18-wheelers off Moorpark streets more than City Engineer Brad Miller.

Last Christmas Eve morning, after less than a month in his new job, Miller was startled by what sounded like a minor explosion. A double-axle flatbed truck heading south on Moorpark Avenue � California 23's name as it winds through downtown past City Hall � lost one of its dual wheels. The rear wheel smashed into an entryway handrail in front of a converted two-bedroom residence that houses the city's public works offices.

"It shook the whole building. I wasn't sure what had happened, but it made a loud crashing sound," Miller recalled. "If it wasn't for that handrail, that tire would have very possibly smashed through the wall."

For years, Moorpark officials have sought ways to separate truck and passenger traffic on city roadways, especially California 23, which, after a stretch of four-lane freeway, meanders through Moorpark and Grimes Canyon north to the city of Fillmore.

Dave Bobardt, the city's planning manager, said that on an average day about 14,000 vehicles travel through downtown and past City Hall. Of those, an estimated 20% � or 2,800 � are trucks.

But California 23 isn't the only traffic challenge.

Earlier this month, the Moorpark City Council instructed city staff to begin an environmental review of plans to grade the initial portion of an east-west arterial road to be called the North Hills Parkway, which officials hope one day could substitute for California 118 through town.

The grading will be done by the developer of Moorpark Highlands, a subdivision of 554 upscale homes and condominiums planned on 445 acres in the northern portion of the city.

Nearly all of the Pardee Homes' site was burned during October's wildfires, so the company recently asked the city's permission to move up its grading schedule to create sufficient erosion controls before winter rains return.

The company's grading also includes work on early portions of a proposed California 23 bypass, which would take northbound trucks around the city in a westerly arc connecting to Broadway, which intersects with Grimes Canyon Road � the continuation of California 23.

"I'm very excited�. It's necessary for improved traffic flow in the city," said Moorpark Councilman Keith Millhouse, former chairman of the Ventura County Transportation Commission.

Truck traffic generated by four quarries in Grimes Canyon is expected to intensify. Scott Ellison, a senior planner for the county, said the sand and gravel operators wanted to modify their permits to go from an average of 1,285 daily truck trips to 2,556.

Cost estimates for the 1.66-mile bypass of California 23 range from $30 million to $80 million, and officials say it could take 10 years to complete.

Even more congested is the continuation of California 118 through town, a popular route for truckers hauling cargo from the east end of the county to the west who want to avoid the steep terrain of the Conejo Grade and the truck scales at the top of the hill. About 6,000 trucks are among the 40,000 vehicles that travel California 118 daily through town, according to city studies.

North Hills Parkway at first would be constructed as a two-lane road but would include easements so it could eventually be expanded to a four-lane roadway and accommodate about 38,000 vehicles daily, according to Miller. The route would begin near where California 23 and 118 merge and head west through the northern end of the city to west of Walnut Canyon Road. It would then begin a southerly angle until it reaches the city's western border, before traveling south until it reconnects with Los Angeles Avenue/118.

Jim Bizzelle, vice president of community development for Pardee Homes, said the North Hills Parkway would cut across the southern portion of his company's property, while the California 23 bypass would travel along the eastern edge of the development.

To allow for a main route into the housing development, Pardee is responsible for grading and paving a northern extension of Spring Road.

[bennyp81]

PaulC
User ID: 8548253 Aug 8th 1:20 PM

Sales Tax Hike Seen as Vehicle to Ease Traffic

Ventura County ballot measure would raise $50million a year for roads and transit. Critics say it is a ruse to encourage development.

By Amanda Covarrubias
Times Staff Writer

August 8, 2004

Moorpark City Councilman Keith Millhouse dreads the start of the school year almost as much as children do.

He knows traffic will get worse when school begins as teachers, students and parents return to their daily routines, clogging surface streets and freeways with more cars.

As a Ventura County transportation commissioner, Millhouse is in a position to do something about it � at least in time for the 2005-06 school year.

He is promoting a November ballot measure that would raise $50 million a year for 30 years to improve roads, freeways and mass transit in Ventura County. With commuters enduring twice as much stop-and-go traffic as they did a decade ago and the state strapped for cash, transportation commissioners decided they would appeal directly to voters to get traffic moving.

"We have to give people some relief now," said Millhouse, chairman of the Measure B campaign committee. "It's a quality-of-life issue and it's a safety issue."

Measure B would allow construction to begin by June on the widening of California 23 in Thousand Oaks, the Ronald Reagan Freeway in Simi Valley and Lewis Road in Camarillo, leading to Cal State Channel Islands.

But opponents say the measure is a ruse to encourage development and gives the Transportation Commission too much power over a big chunk of money with little public oversight.

"We think roads are growth-inducing," said Fred Rosenmund, an Oxnard attorney and spokesman for a grass-roots group that opposes the measure. "It's giving $1.5 billion [over 30 years] to the Transportation Commission in Ventura County with no guarantees or outline or map on how the money would really be spent."

But Millhouse said the county's strict slow-growth measures will keep development in check and that the campaign is making every effort to explain to voters how the initial proceeds would be spent. Further spending decisions will be made in open meetings, and the funds will be audited yearly by an independent agency, he said.

"People want to know their money's not going to be squandered," Millhouse said. "They want to know that the money they're paying is going to be spent on what it's intended for. The money stays in the county, and it can't be stolen by Sacramento or Washington."

Of California's 57 counties, 19 have a transportation tax, and Ventura is the only county in Southern California without one, he said.

If the measure fails, Millhouse said, residents will be stuck in traffic for at least five to 10 years more as Sacramento tries to clear up its own financial gridlock.

Under the measure, 40% of the money collected each year would go to freeway projects, 40% to the county and its 10 cities for road and street repairs, and 20% to the county's bus-dependent mass transit system.

Expenditures such as building more bicycle paths, keeping bus fares affordable and expanding bus and Metrolink routes would be covered by the mass transit portion.

Although it's too early to tell if voters are in the mood to raise their taxes to improve their commutes, political scientist Herb Gooch said Measure B will stand a chance if backers make it clear the tax is a real solution to a problem.

"They need to make it specific where the money's going to go," said Gooch, chairman of the political science department at Cal Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks. "There has to be a general feeling that 'here's the problem, and here's the solution.'

"There's no question traffic is a hot-button issue. It's probably the biggest issue people feel the most right now. There's a lot of anger backers can tap into. But voters need to be convinced it's not just another tax where they won't see the benefits."

A competing measure on the fall ballot that would provide $250 million to buy vacant land and development rights with a quarter-cent sales tax for 10 years would likely benefit from the transportation measure rather than be hurt by it, Gooch said. If voters approve one, they are likely to pass the other.

"If they're in for a dime, they're probably in for a dollar," he said.

If both measures are approved, the county's sales tax would rise from 7.25% to 8%.

The traffic measure enjoys the support of all 10 city councils and numerous business organizations in Ventura County.

Although no study has been done to measure the cost of traffic congestion on local businesses, proponents say current road conditions create higher maintenance and insurance costs for vehicles and lead to lower productivity in the workplace.

"On the practical side, it costs money to have trucks and employees sitting on freeways in the course of trying to do their business," said Bill Buratto, president and chief executive of the Ventura County Economic Development Assn., a key player in the Measure B campaign. "Having cars idling on the freeway is polluting the air."

To improve conditions, one lane would be added each way on both California 23 and the Ronald Reagan Freeway. Traffic on southbound California 23 toward the Ventura Freeway is congested 2.3 hours a day, according to the Ventura County Transportation Commission. The figure is expected to rise to 3.3 hours a day by 2010 if no work is done to the highway.

Similar conditions are found on the eastbound Ronald Reagan Freeway heading to the San Fernando Valley, where congestion rules for 1.75 hours in the morning and is projected to climb to 2.5 hours by 2010.

Lewis Road off the Ventura Freeway in Camarillo is a two-lane farm road that would be widened to accommodate growing traffic to and from Cal State Channel Islands.

The entrance road to the campus also would be straightened. It currently curves through farmland, creating a danger for students and faculty, Buratto said.

"Trying to get people to and from the university on a two-lane farm road just isn't going to cut it," said Buratto, adding that seven deaths have occurred on Lewis Road since the campus opened. "It will only be exacerbated as Cal State Channel Islands grows."

But Rosenmund said the measure relies too heavily on making roads bigger instead of developing mass transit systems, such as light rail, that would get cars off the road. He said widening roads almost always leads to growth because developers and retailers naturally want to build along them.

"Their sole interest is in development and making money," Rosenmund said. "Reducing traffic sounds good to the average taxpayer, not knowing or thinking through what the real impact will be."

John
User ID: 9753653 Aug 8th 1:57 PM

I sure hope Ventura County voters decide to reject that proposed road expansion tax!