Measure K Renewal

The League of Women Voters of San Joaquin County supports the Measure K Renewal Plan. Over a thiry year period, the Measure K Renewal Plan will:

• Fund local street repairs, roadway safety, and congestion relief projects. Local street repairs and roadway safety include rehabilitating local streets, curbs, gutters and sidewalks, as well as installing fog reflectors, median barriers, roadway shoulders and safe routes to school. Congestion relief projects include using revenues to secure matching funds for improvements to highways and regional arteries. 35% of funds collected, or $883 million, will be allocated to these projects.
• Foster coordination of transportation and land use planning within cities and regionally. This measure mandates the adoption and implementation of a Regional Management Plan by Jan. 1, 2008. The goals include monitoring vehicle traffic as an indicator of growth and reviewing all development applications expected to generate over a specified number of peak vehicle trips. The San Joaquin Council of Governments must comment on these applications, recommending appropriate mitigation in coordination with the California Dept. of Transportation.
• Take into account the cumulative impact of growth. The Regional Management Plan calls for use of a computer model to determine the impact of new and existing development on our regional transportation system. Measure K also calls for a Smart Growth Incentive Program that will make $65 million available for infrastructure improvement and grants to assist local agencies to better integrate transportation and land use.
• Fund alternatives to single occupancy vehicle travel, such as rail, bus, bus rapid transit, bicycle and pedestrian routes. Measure K is aimed at providing a balanced transportation network with alternatives to single occupant automobile travel and improved air quality as stated goals. Over the thirty year period, 30% of funds collected, or $756 million, will be allocated to these projects.
• Provide incentives to encourage good planning. In order to receive Measure K funding, local jurisdictions must show compliance with the Regional Congestion and Management Plan and have adopted a Regional Transportation Mitigation Fee that will help to alleviate the impact of local development on the transportation system.
• Raise capital for securing matching funds from State and Federal sources. Our experience with the current Measure K Ordinance has shown that implementation of the 1/2% sales tax has been the best funding method to secure other sources of revenue to meet the needs of San Joaquin County. These funds can also be loaned to the state to complete projects sooner than would normally be expected through the State Transportation Improvement Program. Since this measure simply renews the existing 1/2% sales tax, no new taxes will be imposed.

After careful study of local transportation issues, The League of Women Voters of San Joaquin County found that these are the components needed for a thoughtful and comprehensive approach to transportation planning in our area. We feel the renewal of Measure K is an important step in continuing to build the vital transportation system needed for San Joaquin County's growing population