Comments on: subway dreams down the tubes: sales tax motion denied

By: loveandhatela

loveandhatela — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 18:36:30 +0000

I got a reply from Gloria Molina this morning regarding the email i sent her last week.About my anger and disgust with her vote.
I have posted it on my blog. http://www.loveandhatela.blogspot.com
Her reply and the “op-ed” piece she said she wrote and submitted to the LA Times and that they have not yet chosen to publish it.

By: Bert Green

Bert Green — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 02:34:19 +0000

#64, I disagree. The sales tax is likely to pass. People all over the County want better mobility, and this is the one way within reach to get it. The desire to split the county is not some elitist vision, it is a purely practical matter to put more power into the hands of the people, and restrict the 5 supervisors from making decisions for so many people. Each of them has 2.5 million constituents. That’s not very democratic, and is a worse type of elitism.

A county of Los Angeles and a county of San Gabriel would be more responsive, and a better use of our money.

By: RuFF

RuFF — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 22:43:19 +0000

On Bert Green’s comment (#50) about the idea of breaking up LA County.

I totally hate that idea. LOL. But seriously - I think you described the problem.

“What I’d like to see is a breakup of Los Angeles County. The western half would contain LA City (west to the beaches) and the eastern half would be the rest. But that would not likely ever happen.”

People from “the rest” know this mentality and how it’s shared among people of Los Angeles & the Westside. You want the number 1 reason this won’t pass in November? That’s it. You hit the nail on the head.

By: Paula

Paula — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 21:47:24 +0000

^ The bigger issue is now estimating what percentage of the electorate in November is likely to approve a ballot measure that increases the country sales tax to 8.50%, and whether that will be enough to reach the 2/3rds requirement.

By: Haven

Haven — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 21:41:02 +0000

^”Knabe to change vote on sales tax”
“I cannot in good conscience burden County residents with over $10 million in higher election costs. The taxpayers will have to pay for these costs, and that is something I will not allow to happen. Additionally, the separate ballots, voter guides, and other resources needed to conduct a separate election on the same day as the Presidential Election could cause unnecessary confusion and challenges for voters. This upcoming election is the most important in many years, and voters deserve better than a potential disaster at their polling place.”
Absolutely brilliant! - such a drama this is. People can change their minds!

By: Haven

Haven — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 21:32:10 +0000

I was shocked when i read this - it seemed as if this had momentum, and was sailing along so smoothly and then to read this - I was utterly dissapointed. I now understand those in the community who have “given up” on advocacy for public transit because its hard to take blows like this again and again when it seems so obvious that we need rail and subway solutions yesterday. Ill keep fighting for it however. But it is certainly not an easy fight, Bert and others are right that the political structure here favors the politics of separation and division, not unity. And we are blessed with the presence of the notorious BRU which is very very good at slaughtering any attempts to build rail in the region. The BRU is very well organized, and very effective at what they do. They have been flexing their influence lately, and Im sure had a part in this outcome.
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oew-mann31-2008jul31,0,4715127.story

They are again claiming that this will “aggravate the very conditions of racial discrimination” and that it is for rich people. The BRU is very good at creating narratives around “fairness”. They have succeeded at stymieing
rail in LA for years and years.

I have written to Gloria Molina, Knabe and Antonovich, and I will write to Eric Mann and Manuel Criollo too. Im glad that many here have written as well, and i urge those who havent yet to do so. The voice of the community is important in getting this back on the right track.

By: Stephen Friday

Stephen Friday — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 21:30:52 +0000

^On it.

By: LAofAnaheim

LAofAnaheim — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 21:27:17 +0000

BREAKING NEWS!! - Transit sales tax measure will be on the general ballot (pending, of course, the passage of AB measure in the state of CA, and Schwarzenegger signing the darn thing by August 31st!)

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/bottleneck/2008/08/more-breaking-n.html

By: Bruce

Bruce — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 20:57:12 +0000

Oh Lordy…

Rich, thanks for taking the high road on this. You’ve got class…and amazing patience.

By: Tommyo

Tommyo — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 20:48:10 +0000

…then you would be part of the problem.
Now go make me a taco!