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TRANSACTIONS NEWSLETTER ONLINE
December 1999 / January 2000

Interview with State Senator John Burton

Sales Tax Measure Top Priority for 2000

John Burton There was a great deal of hope in the first year of the current state legislative session for passage of a transportation funding package. These hopes were stymied when three major bills -- Senate Constitutional Amendment 3, Senate Bill 315 and Assembly Bill 1155 -- failed to pass, despite their support by a wide range of interests, led by John Burton (San Francisco), president pro tempore of the state Senate. In anticipation of the Year 2000 legislative session, Transactions asked Sen. Burton about the funding package's past -- and its future.

TA: What is your view as to why SCA 3, SB 315 and AB 1155 failed to pass?

Burton: SCA 3, which enables voters in every county to extend half-cent sales taxes for local transportation projects, had bipartisan support in the Senate, but got bogged down in the Assembly because of opposition from Republicans in that house. AB 1155 provided the mechanism for counties to get SCA 3 on the ballot. Its fate was pretty much tied to SCA 3. I intended SB 315 as a placeholder to make sure bonds were considered as part of the discussions about a transportation package. I think the reason these bills hit a roadblock was because Assembly Republicans underestimated the importance of the transportation crisis to their constituents. I think that's changing.

TA: Do you anticipate these bills being re-introduced in the same or altered form in this session?

Burton: SCA 3 is my priority for the current session. I don't think it's practical to have SCA 3 and a transportation bond on the same ballot, so I've slowed down SB 315. I'm optimistic SCA 3 will go on the November 2000 ballot. The bill enjoys a broad coalition of support from business leaders in California, labor groups and local government agencies.

TA: If these bills were altered, how would they differ from the original ones?

Burton: There are some discussions about linking SCA 3 with some pay-as-you-go financing. Any amendments would have to meet my goals of generating the $40 billion to $60 billion SCA 3 can raise, maintaining the viability of the sales tax as a local transportation funding source, and avoiding a massive raid on the General Fund.

TA: How will the revenue measures on the March 2000 ballot affect what happens with the transportation bills?

Burton: It'll be interesting to see the results of the infrastructure investments on the March ballot. There aren't any [statewide] transportation infrastructure measures before the voters then, though, so I'm not sure how much March tells us about November. Regardless of what happens in March, I think transportation improvements will really resonate with the voters in November.

TA: Will you be working with Assemblymember Tom Torlakson on a new companion bill to SCA 3?

Burton: Tom Torlakson is one of the members of the Legislature doing the most to solve the state's transportation crisis, so I'll be working with him on a variety of fronts, including finding ways to link jobs, housing and transportation together so we're not all stuck in traffic all the time. As for AB 1155, it contained some good public process language that I would like to see in a final SCA 3 package.

TA: Why are these three bills (SCA 3, SB 315, AB 1155) so important for California?

Burton: We have bumper-to-bumper gridlock and car-eating potholes on virtually every road in California. And the state will see an additional 12 million new residents over the next 20 years. Our transportation system has to be made safe and usable now and be made ready to accommodate growth. SCA 3 provides $40 billion to $60 billion from a very flexible source of revenue for local officials to do that. Also, since 85 percent of Californians are already paying the sales taxes SCA 3 would extend, it's an easy sales job to make to voters.

TA: What can regional agencies like MTC and local officials/organizations do to help pass these bills?

Burton: Keep the pressure on -- write the letters, talk about what can be built with SCA 3 in the community, express your support to key legislators and the governor. Encouraging your colleagues in other regions to do the same is also important. SCA 3 will only make it to the ballot -- and be approved by the voters -- with the help of a broad and vocal coalition in support.

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