Breaking down Prop 6, the measure to repeal the gas tax
In April 2017, Gov. Jerry Brown signed SB 1 into law. The bill increases the price of regular gas by 12 cents a gallon, diesel fuel by 20 cents per gallon, the sales tax on diesel to 5.75 percent, and raised the vehicle registration fee by $25 to $175, depending on the value of the vehicle on Jan. 1. Hybrid and electric car owners will have to pay a $100 annual fee starting in July 2020.
According to state officials, the tax would bring in approximately $52 billion in revenue over the next decade, $5 billion per year. Officials say that the money goes toward highway and road maintenance and repairs as well as transit programs.
Immediately as soon as the tax went into effect, petitions were signed throughout California in an effort to repeal it. Those signatures were enough to put the matter up on the ballot this November.
Prop 6 can be a bit confusing, however, since a vote “yes” is a vote to repeal the gas tax increase, and a vote “no” is a vote to keep the current gas taxes in place.
While some locals say “enough is enough” when it comes to gas tax increases, many of our local Coachella Valley politicians say the money generated from gas tax is imperative to ongoing public safety projects.
Cathedral City Mayor and Retired Chief of Police Stan Henry says that gas tax is currently funding hundreds of important infrastructural repairs.
“I’ll give you an example in Cathedral City. Senate Bill 1 (the 12 cent per gallon gas tax increase) this year gave Cathedral City $900,000. We wouldn’t have been able to do a road project on Dinah Shore — which we rebuilt Dinah Shore road from Date Palm all the way to the Dinah Shore bridge, which is about two and a half miles. That project would not have been able to be done without Senate bill 1 and the gas tax that was allotted to Cathedral City,” said Henry.
Indio Mayor Michael Wilson agrees, and says Prop 6 is a double edged sword.
“This is up to the voters to decide what they want — new roads, new infrastructure, new bridges new overpasses…to make their commute safer, shorter those things or to repeal it and pay for vehicle expenses for front end damages or popped tires or those things,” said Wilson.
Wilson also said that without gas tax, projects across the valley will lose funding: “Those projects are shelf ready they’re funded they’re moving forward…and to repeal Prop 6 means those projects go away.”
While both mayors are registered Republicans voting “no” on Prop 6, our local Republican headquarters says the tax impacts everyone and has got to go.
“This vote is cutting across party lines this gas tax raised gasoline for republicans democrats liberals conservatives it was a horrendous slap in the face of the middle-class — the poorest people in town the mothers that are running their kids to school and to soccer practice and things like that they have to decide, ‘how we gonna do this?'” said Rich Gilgallon, known as the “Conservative Voice of the Coachella Valley.” The Coachella Valley Republican Headquarters says their group will be having a “Vote Yes on 6” rally at 8am on Friday, October 19th, at the corner of Jefferson and 42nd street.
Others in favor of repealing the gas tax, also advocate for alternative ways to fund those infrastructural projects without overtaxing drivers. “There’s plenty of money in the budget for road repairs locally, statewide roads, etc.,” said Gilgallon.
There have been several movements both for and against the tax locally. In January, a number of local gas stations sold gas for $1.99 to help collect signatures for a repeal.
Watch: Indio gas station sells gas for $1.99 for tax repeal signature drive
In August, local leaders gathered to announce their support for the tax.
Watch: Local leaders to make case for gas tax support
Tonight at 5:30 p.m. on CBS Local 2 and 6 p.m. on News Channel 3, Madison Weil breaks down both sides of the argument.
For more information on both sides, click here. To register to vote, click here.
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