The Issue of Raising Sales Tax for Roads
One of the things that disappoints me about Orange County is our reluctance to look beyond our own borders for solutions to problems that we share with other areas, such as traffic congestion. I frequently travel to San Jose and have noticed many similarities--and differences--between these two areas.
Like Orange County, Santa Clara County has experienced rapid growth during the last 20 years. Both areas have major traffic problems, but Santa Clara County is way ahead of us in solving theirs:
* San Jose has an operating light rail system; here in Orange County, we’re still talking about mass transit.
* Santa Clara County has already started a project to synchronize traffic signals on all major surface streets; here in Orange County, we’re still talking about that too.
* San Jose has high-frequency (40 trains per day) commuter rail service to San Francisco, which is about 40 miles away. We only have eight trains per day to Los Angeles, but, of course, we’re talking about more.
Like all other urban and suburban counties in California, Santa Clara County has a half-cent transportation sales tax that pays for projects like these; in Orange County we’re still talking about that, too. Higher taxes alone won’t solve our transportation problems, but solutions such as those in Santa Clara county do cost money. That’s why I’m voting for Measure M.
ALAN P. DUBIN
Tustin
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