Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
Proposed SoCal Tax Would Charge Drivers Based On Miles Driven
Heinous rush hour traffic on the 405 Freeway (Photo by marinov via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr)
()
A local government association wants Southern California to be a test site for a new tax that would charge drivers based on the number of miles they drive.The Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG), a city planning organization that represents L.A County and five others, passed a resolution asking Congress to replace the gas tax with this new tax by 2025, the San Gabriel Valley Tribune reports. They want to use SoCal as a test site in the meantime.
Despite rising gas prices, the existing gas tax hasn’t been raised in 20 years, remaining at 18.5 cents per gallon. Even though we’re paying more at the pump overall, the Highway Trust Fund, which is fueled by that tax and pays for road improvements, will be dried up by July, SCAG said, with expenditures outweighing revenues from the tax.
This new tax would assess a driver’s mileage using their odometer reading and send a bill monthly or yearly.
Carrie Bowen, director of Caltrans District 7, which includes Los Angeles and Ventura Counties, said:
Support for LAist comes from
“I don’t think the gas tax is working. More people are driving hybrid cars, and the improved efficiencies have reduced the amount of money we get for our highways.”
Bowen added that “those pennies, that dollar doesn’t go as far as it used to. We can’t maintain our roads with the money we have coming in,” she said at a transportation conference in the City of Industry Wednesday.
According to a Federal Highway Administration report, 1,200 bridges in L.A. County alone need repairs and have no money for them.
A miles-traveled fee pilot program has already been shown to reduce traffic during peak hours in and out of Portland by 10 percent. And since we have the dubious honor of having the worst roads in the country and the worst traffic in the country (and it’s only getting worse), it’s no wonder SCAG would consider this new tax to theoretically help fix roads and lessen traffic at the same time.
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
The union representing the restaurant's workers announced Tuesday that The Pantry will welcome back patrons Thursday after suddenly shutting down six months ago. -
If approved, the more than 62-acre project would include 50 housing lots and a marina less than a mile from Jackie and Shadow's famous nest overlooking the lake.
-
The U.S. Supreme Court lifted limits on immigration sweeps in Southern California, overturning a lower court ruling that prohibited agents from stopping people based on their appearance.
-
Censorship has long been controversial. But lately, the issue of who does and doesn’t have the right to restrict kids’ access to books has been heating up across the country in the so-called culture wars.
-
With less to prove than LA, the city is becoming a center of impressive culinary creativity.
-
Nearly 470 sections of guardrailing were stolen in the last fiscal year in L.A. and Ventura counties.
Best of LAist