Leaders Deny Backing Tax

The Jan. 22 story concerning the purported support of a half-cent sales tax ballot measure by Ventura County Supervisors John Flynn and Maria VanderKolk is a misstatement of fact or a misunderstanding.

Supervisors Flynn and VanderKolk have both stated that they support the concept of the aerial rail system from Los Angeles to Ventura County.

Supervisor Flynn and Supervisor VanderKolk’s administrative assistant Russ Baggerly were asked by the reporter how we might pay for such a project.

Both responded to the question in the context of the failure of the previous ballot measure for transportation projects. In order to raise revenues for a specific transportation project like the elevated rail line, the half-cent sales tax, with the matching funds from Prop. 111 and 116 monies from the state, would probably have to be passed by the voters.

Both expressed separate opinions that the voters might be more willing to vote for such a specific transportation project because they could see exactly where their tax money would be spent.

The reporter jumped to a conclusion that both supervisors support the half-cent sales tax increase ballot measure. This is clearly not the case or the issue. Supervisor VanderKolk was out of town and was unavailable for comment.

The half-cent sales tax increase would be one of many options for funding such a project. No support for the ballot measure was given or intended in the comments mentioned above.

MARIA VANDERKOLK

JOHN FLYNN

Vanderkolk and Flynn are members of the Ventura County Board of Supervisors .