News
Yes on 1B, 1C, 1D, 1E and 84
Modesto Bee
September 26, 2006
Californians will have a rare chance Nov. 7 to invest in public works projects that have been neglected for too long.
Five bond measures on the ballot will help pay for highways and transit, affordable housing, schools, levees, water systems and parks. All five deserve approval. If voters reject them, it will be hard to blame politicians for freeway congestion, floods and other ills synonymous with this growing state. These five bond measures come with a combined price tag of $42.6 billion, which means the total tab will run to $83.8 billion over 30 years once interest costs are paid. That's a lot of borrowing. Can California afford it? It can, assuming the economy doesn't take a sharp downturn. If it does, this extra debt service will add to the pressure to raise taxes or cut existing programs. So is this an ideal package? No, but rejecting it would surely condemn California to even worse gridlock and lost opportunities for new parks, schools, levees and affordable housing. ...Proposition 1C -- $2.85 billion for housing, shelter -- Since the mid-1990s, the run-up in housing prices has left many California homeowners feeling wealthy. Others have been left on the street. Proposition 1C would provide $2.85 billion to help low-income renters, first-time home buyers, the homeless and those on the tipping point. Some money would go to traditional programs, such as efforts to provide shelter for battered women, or low-interest loans for qualified home buyers. About $1.35 billion would go to provide water, sewage and environmental cleanup so housing can be built in downtown areas. Local agencies would be eligible to apply for grants. This is the least convincing of the statewide bond proposals, but still deserves support. ...
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