IF YOU LIKED MEASURE R, YOU'LL LOVE MEASURE R PLUS!

THIS YEAR IN LA WE WILL SEE:
• the opening of Expo to La Cienega and then Culver City, and the construction of Phase 2 to Santa Monica begins
• the Orange Line extension to the Chatsworth Metrolink station opens
• construction of the Gold Line to Azusa continues
• groundbreaking for the Crenshaw Line
• utility relocation for the downtown Regional Connector and the subway extension to Westwood
• President Obama’s new budget may include New Starts funding for the Regional Connector and the subway.

Move LA’s “Transportation Conversation 4” will be an especially exciting one — coming on the heels of legislation enabling an extension of Measure R. Joining us are LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Senator Loni Hancock and Assemblymembers Mike Feuer, Bonnie Lowenthal, Fiona Ma, Mike Eng and Julia Brownley, and as well as leadership from key government agencies and nonprofits.

The talk is about possible new revenue sources for transit, TOD and affordable housing, from ballot measures to tax increment financing to public-private partnerships and the use of zoning as a value capture strategy. Our goal is to make the most of the public investment in transit and new stations — powerful public assets that create value that can be leveraged for community benefits. Feb. 24, at Union Station, see www.movela.org for details and registration information.

AND IF YOU LIKE MEASURE R, YOU’LL LOVE MEASURE R-PLUS

Assemblyman Michael Feurer authored the legislation that got Measure R on the ballot in 2008, and last month he introduced legislation (AB 1446) that sets the stage for extending Measure R with a second ballot measure in the 2012 election. This would allow LA Metro to bond against a longer revenue stream and raise more money upfront, thereby allowing the Measure R transit expansion program to accelerate construction of 12 Measure R-funded projects even if Congress doesn’t provide the low-interest loans and long-term bonds that would otherwise be necessary for the Mayor’s 30-10 plan (to fund all 12 projects in 10 years instead of over the 30 years of the sales tax).

Feuer told Move LA that while a lot of groundwork will have to be done in order for this measure to earn the support of voters, he believes there are few issues more important to LA County residents than improving the transit system. His legislation did not specify the length of the extension, which would be determined later.

Local voters first approved a half-cent sales tax increase for transportation in 1980 with 54 percent of the vote, and in 1990 they approved another half-cent sales tax increase with 50.4 percent. But nearly 20 percent more voters approved the Measure R half-cent sales tax - more than 67.8 percent of the vote — suggesting an increased willingness, not a reluctance, to tax ourselves for transit. Sales tax measure extensions (for transportation) were also easily approved in the counties of San Bernardino, Riverside and Orange:
• In 2002, an extension of Measure A was passed with 69 percent of the vote in Riverside County;
• In 2004, San Bernardino County voters extended the Measure I sales tax with 80 percent of the vote.
• In 2006 Orange County voters approved a sale tax extension with 69.7 percent of the vote.

This suggests that voters in Southern California, except in Ventura County, have consistently voted to approve new or extend transportation sales taxes by substantial and increasing majorities. Moreover, extensions are generally easier to pass than new taxes, and Move LA believes that local voters may offer a more promising opportunity than a contentious state legislature or Congress.

Feuer generally agrees, though he says that he believes it will be very challenging to get the consensus necessary because of the recession, because there is such a significant amount of money at stake, and because the 2012 ballot will be crowded with other funding measures. But he said he is hopeful because the 30-year Measure R sales tax was very specific about the improvements that will be delivered, which helps convince voters that the tax will be effectual — and that the vote will definitely be a measure of confidence in the ability of LA leadership to deliver on the Measure R promise.

Feuer has also introduced legislation that would add urban rail transit projects to the types of projects that would benefit from CEQA streamlining under a measure passed last year that creates expedited judicial review procedures for environmentally friendly projects including LEED-certified infill development, clean renewable energy project and clean energy manufacturing projects — and the proposed Farmers Field football stadium near the LA Convention Center.

T BILL UPDATE FROM TRANSPORTATION FOR AMERICA

THANK YOU SO MUCH for all your speedy and impassioned efforts this week to influence House members on the T&I and Ways and Means committees. We had an extremely limited timeline for action on what Secretary Ray LaHood has called "the worst transportation bill" he's ever seen.

In California as across the nation, we pulled out all the stops for an unprecedented response to ugly proposals before both committees. A few highlights:
Over 600 signers in less than 24 hours to a national letter opposing the Ways and Means proposal to move public transportation and CMAQ funding to the General Fund — 93 from the Golden State alone!
Dozens of phone calls to California Republicans on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee in support of the Petri amendment to restore dedicated bike/ped funding.
An impromptu phone bank at the New Partners for Smart Growth conference generating 50+ phone calls to Reps. Herger and Nunes on the Ways and Means committee spearheaded by The Prevention Institute.
Participation from unexpected allies like the California Chamber of Commerce, strategic new allies in target districts like Mariposans for the Environment and Responsible Growth (Denham's district), and previously reluctant allies like Fresno Mayor Ashley Swearingen.

Unfortunately, as you've probably heard, both Committees approved their bills without changing the devastating cuts to transit, bicycle, and pedestrian funding that are clearly opposed by a groundswell of Americans. We are sorely disappointed in the House leaders who are pushing an extremely partisan policy package. The Transportation For America Executive Committee met today and decided to formally oppose the Ways and Means bill (H.R. 3864). Please stay tuned for ways you can help.

Our work is cut out for us in the weeks ahead. The next step: gathering sign-ons to our letter to Senator Boxer, with an accelerated deadline of this coming Monday, February 6 at 5pm. Click here to read the letter and sign on ASAP - and THANKS to the dozen folks who have signed on already!

We look to you for continued support as both the House and the Senate plan to hold floor votes on their transportation bills before the Presidents' Day recess. As we've seen this week, House leaders are not in the mood to compromise so we will need to leverage everything we've got to shore up support in the Senate and play defense in the House.

To that end, we will be providing updates on a new blog at http://t4acalifornia.wordpress.com to spare you crazy email overload - and reserving urgent email blasts for critical actions and reminders about coalition phone calls. Please visit the blog to read our summary of the Ways & Means markup and "follow" us to know when we've added posts - and feel free to pirate off the blog to inform your supporters as well.

Do not hesitate to contact either of us with your questions or requests for further information. Again, thank you for all your work this week - we hope you have a wonderful and relaxing weekend!

-Shannon Tracey & Ryan Wiggins
Transportation for America Campaign

STOP ASSAULT ON TRANSIT BY HOUSE WAYS AND MEANS

There's still time to call your representative on the House Ways & Means Committee — which is marking up its transportation funding bill this morning, and could end 30 years of providing dedicated funding for public transportation from the federal gas tax. Instead transit would have to fight for funding through the annual appropriations process. The national Transportation for America coalition yesterday gathered signatures from more than 600 organizations, elected officials and notable individuals decrying the move — including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, AARP, the American Public Transportation Association, the National Rural Assembly, American Society of Civil Engineers, LOCUS (real estate developers), National Association of Counties, the governors of Oregon and Washington, several state DOTs, state and local Chambers of Commerce, and hundreds of state and local organizations nationwide.

There is a link to the sign-on letter and more info at the bottom of this page. This is the biggest and most dangerous move that the House has made against transit. There are phone numbers for some districts below, and the T4America website allows you to find your representative by zipcode and send a message.

Republicans
Wally Herger, CA - Northern Central CA 202-225-3076, District 530-893-8363
Devin Nunes, CA - Fresno/Central Valley 202-225-2523, District 559-323-5235

Democrats
Mike Thompson, CA - Northern CA: he doesn't need to be swayed...he just needs to get a lot of traffic on this so that he will push as hard as possible on this. 202-225-3311, District 707-226-9898

Also call:
House Ways and Means Committee
Dave Camp, Chair, 202-225-3625
Fortney Pete Stark CA 202-225-5065, District 510-494-1388
Xavier Becerra CA 202-225-6235, District 213-483-1425

In other news, both the Senate Banking Committee and the House T&I Committee passed their bills yesterday. The Senate bill was passed after a 30-minute markup, on a unanimous voice vote. The House bill, on the other hand, was passed by a party-line vote after an 18-hour markup in which 100 amendments were offered.

Next stop for both bills: the floor of their respective chambers.

The sign-on letter and more info is here.

METRO ADOPTS CONSTRUCTION CAREER POLICY CREATING MIDDLE-INCOME JOBS

LA Metro’s board on Thursday approved a Construction Careers policy that includes a project labor agreement (PLA) and local hire requirement for all transit and highway projects with a budget greater than $2.5 million. The policy will target communities hardest hit by the recession and most in need of good, new jobs, and will require that at least 40 percent of the jobs created go to workers from areas with high unemployment and that at least 10 percent go to disadvantaged workers, including single parents, individuals without a high school diploma, or those who have been on public assistance.

The policy, which was promoted by LAANE, the LA County Federation of Labor, the Building Trades, faith-based leaders and other community organizations —including Move LA — is an effort to link the Measure R and other public investments in transportation to the creation of good jobs for local residents. These construction jobs are particularly important because not only do they provide a middle-income wage but there are also apprenticeship programs that provide young workers with formal training and a career path that offers family-supporting wages, health care and pension benefits. Moreover, workers who are employed on Metro projects will spend their earnings at local businesses, creating additional jobs and local tax revenues.

“Taxpayers approved Measure R to generate significant new transit investment,” says Denny Zane, Move LA’s executive director. “At the same time we want the construction jobs created to be good, middle-class jobs. By setting job standards and creating career paths, Metro is guaranteeing that public funds will not be used to create low-wage jobs with meager benefits — thereby putting a strain on taxpayers.”

THE BAND CALLED IT'S CASUAL TESTIFIES ABOUT THE RED LINE

A friend of the Move LA "family" explains why we love transit.

DENNY ZANE QUOTED ON MEASURE R EXTENSION IN LA TIMES, STREETSBLOG

Move LA Executive Director Denny Zane was quoted in the LA Times Friday and on Streetsblog the day before, following news that Assembly Member Mike Feuer had introduced legislation allowing voters to approve an extension of the Measure R sales tax. While Congress is considering the America Fast Forward proposal to provide low-interest loans that would allow LA Metro to build more of the 12 Measure R-funded transit lines more quickly, an extension of the sales tax would make a rapid expansion of transit much more certain.

The LA Times article is here and Streetsblog is here.

LEGISLATION INTRODUCED TO BUILD MORE LA TRANSIT PROJECTS MORE QUICKLY

Assembly Member Mike Feuer (D-Los Angeles) has introduced legislation allowing voters to extend the Measure R sales tax for an as-yet-unspecified length of time, enabling LA Metro to bond against a longer revenue stream and raise the money to build more projects more quickly — without having to rely only on federal or state financing.

Feuer had authored the legislation that placed Measure R — the half-cent sales tax that is providing funding for 12 new rail lines over 30 years — on the ballot in 2008. In his press release today he noted that extending Measure R would jumpstart construction on the Measure R projects, putting thousands of Angelenos back to work.

"Accelerating Measure R projects will be transformational for the LA economy," says Move LA Executive Director Denny Zane, "and a sales tax extension is very likely to win voter support. San Bernardino, Riverside and Orange counties all passed their transportation sales tax extensions by large margins in recent years.

“This is a real opportunity with very little downside, and a really good companion piece to America Fast Forward — the federal 30-10 plan. If you like what Measure R is doing for Los Angeles you will love ‘Measure R-plus’ because it will mean more jobs and fiscal benefits, better air quality and less traffic congestion — sooner. What’s not to like?”