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CC 2016-04-26 Items Rec'd at Mtg. AveA,,d 0,040 Siri --r-kw 12-a— CENTRAL COAST`c.�c1'9 - TAXPAYERS ASSOCIATION April 5, 2016 President Jan Howell Marx City of San Luis Obispo, Mayor San Luis Obispo Council of Governments 1114 Marsh Street San Luis Obispo, California 93401 Dear President Marx, The Central Coast Taxpayers Association (CCTA) Board of Directors has voted to oppose the Self-Help County tax proposal. CCTA opposes it for several reasons: 1) The Governor and Legislature have not made transportation funding a priority. A recent report from the State Senate said 68 percent of California roads are in poor or mediocre condition, the 44th worst record in the nation. The report also said the cost for all of the unfunded repairs identified by state and local officials in the coming decade is about$135 billion. 2) The Governor and Legislature continue its quest to build the California High Speed Rail. Billions of taxpayer dollars are being wasted on this project that could be spent on our roads. An independent study of the project, The California High Speed Rail Proposal:A Due Diligence Report by the respected Reason Foundation, clearly documented that the actual cost of the project would be closer to $100 billion and serve far fewer riders than claimed by backers of the bullet train. The negative predictions about High Speed Rail have not only come to pass, the project is even worse than thought. 3) The Governor and Legislature continue to support Caltrans bloated bureaucracy. Even though Caltrans claims they are at their lowest staffing in recent history, they are still overstaffed by some 3,300 architects and engineers. That means some $470 million per year is not getting to our roads. The books for Caltrans have not been auditable and the Caltrans Director cannot back up any of his claims with supportable documentation, Central Coast Taxpayers Association•P.O. Box 1324 • Templeton, CA 93465 1 Y_ C, at least to the satisfaction of the Legislative Analyst's Office and the State Auditor's Department. 4) The recent SLOCOG poll found that increasing a local 1/2 cent sales tax would fail decisively with the voters. They do not trust that the elected officials would spend the money properly and efficiently. Remember the $1 million spent for oaks at$316 per acorn planted.as mitigation for constructing the Willow Road/State Highway 101 interchange! And voters are now asked to approve a new $25 million per year sales tax for transportation! The voters deserve transparency and accountability for how transportation dollars are used before they are asked to pay more in taxes. 5) The State of California has 'stolen' our local gas tax dollars and has unwisely spent those dollars on many failed programs such as those listed above instead of fixing our roads! Bring back common sense and stop the taxation glut of Sacramento. The State has a spending priority problem, not a revenue problem! CCTA respectfully requests SLOCOG oppose the Self-Help County tax proposal We further request SLOCOG send letters to the Governor, the Legislature, as well as to the League of Cities and the California State Association of Counties strongly requesting the State prioritize transportation funding. Respectfully, Jordan Cunningham President Central Coast Taxpayers Association cc: Lynn Compton; Vice-President and SLO County District 4, Supervisor Jim Guthrie, City of Arroyo Grande, Councilmember Tom O'Malley, City of Atascadero, Mayor John Shoals, City of Grover Beach, Mayor Jamie Irons, City of Morro Bay, Mayor Fred Strong, City of Paso Robles, City Councilmember Shelly Higginbotham, City of Pismo Beach, Mayor Frank Mecham, SLO County District 1, Supervisor Bruce Gibson, SLO County District 2, Supervisor Adam Hill, SLO County District 3, Supervisor Debbie Arnold, SLO County District 5, Supervisor