SANTA CLARA VTA RIDERS UNION P. O. Box 390069 Mountain View, CA 94039-0069 NEWS RELEASE TO: Editor or News Assignment Desk or Transportation Reporter * FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE * Press Contact: Eugene Bradley - 24 hr. cell (408)888-2208 GROUP OPPOSES COUNTYWIDE SALES TAX PROPOSALS County, Transit Officials Should Rescind Sales Tax Proposals and Live Within Modest Means MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA (February 27, 2006) – The Santa Clara VTA Riders Union (SCVTARU – http://www.vtaridersunion.org/), a public transit advocacy and watchdog group in the South Bay, expresses their opposition of two (2) sales tax proposals whose ballot status will be decided this week. The group is not affiliated with the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA - http://www.vta.org) in any way whatsoever. SCVTARU instead calls on Santa Clara County's Board of Supervisors and the VTA's Board of Directors to bite the bullet and rescind these sales tax proposals and live within their means. The first sales tax proposal that SCVTARU opposes is a Santa Clara County 1/2-cent sales tax proposal for general and public transportation purposes. If the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors approves the proposal at its Board meeting February 28 in San Jose, it will appear in this June's election ballot for voter approval: DATE: Tuesday, February 28, 2006 TIME: 6:30pm PLACE: Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors Chambers, 70 W. Hedding Street (at N. First Street), San Jose The other sales tax proposal that SCVTARU opposes is the VTA's 1/4-cent sales tax for transportation. This sales tax proposal could go to the ballot either this June or November for voter if approved by the VTA's Board of Directors at their upcoming meeting this Thursday: DATE: Thursday, March 2, 2006 TIME: 5:30pm PLACE: Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors Chambers, 70 W. Hedding Street (at N. First Street), San Jose One reason SCVTARU is against the County's 1/2-cent sales tax proposal is that it lacks any specifics. The ballot language of the County's sales tax proposal (http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/local/13950369.htm) fails to mention which specific programs would receive the expected $160 million in sales tax revenue per year. For example: how much money would the Housing Trust Fund of Santa Clara County receive under the proposal? The county's proposal also fails to mention who would chose the "citizens' advisory committee" responsible for overseeing the sales tax revenue, and what qualifications would be required to serve on the committee. For all SCVTARU and the general public knows now, the money could easily go directly to the back pockets of Santa Clara County's bureaucrats and politicians. SCVTARU opposes the VTA's 1/4-cent sales tax proposal due to ongoing lack of accountability and fiscal mismanagement at the transportation agency. * In 2000, Santa Clara County voters passed a 1/2-cent sales tax increase that was to fund a county-wide list of public transit projects. When it became obvious that sales tax revenue went down after the "dot-com" crash from 2000-2004, VTA's emphasis changed from building projects county-wide to "BART At All Costs." Instead of living within modest means, VTA wants to hit Santa Clara County taxpayers with yet another sales tax to fund their BART to San Jose pipe dream. Other transportation projects promised to county voters, like increased Caltrain commuter rail and county bus service, still won't be fully funded if BART to San Jose costs more than what VTA has projected. * Every Santa Clara County resident already pays three (3) different sales taxes to build and operate public transit and highway projects in the county. These sales taxes are detailed on our web site at http://www.vtaridersunion.org/ffa/taxme.html. Santa Clara County's current transportation taxes include two permanent sales taxes totaling 3/4 of 1% since 1978. It also includes the current 1/2-cent sales tax approved by voters in 1996, to be replaced by the Measure A sales tax approved by county voters in November 2000 starting April 1. * Members of the VTA Board of Directors - who decide how your sales tax revenue is spent - are appointed at the city council and County Supervisor level. County voters cannot run for a seat on the VTA Board, nor can they elect or recall any member of the Board. As a result, the VTA Board of Directors is currently accountable to no one. The lack of accountability at VTA is what SCVTARU is fighting to change. (http://www.vtaridersunion.org/DIY/board-change.html) Additional talking points on the VTA's 1/4-cent sales tax proposal can be found on our web site at http://www.vtaridersunion.org/ffa/vtatax2006_talkingpoints.html. Many of the talking points are also good for use in the County's 1/2-cent sales tax proposal. If approved by the County and VTA, and approved by voters this year, the county's sales tax could go from 8.25% to as high as 9%. The County's 1/2-cent sales tax proposal alone, if it becomes law, would tie Santa Clara County with Alameda County as having California's highest county sales tax at 8.75%. If the VTA 1/4-cent sales tax makes the ballot box this year and voters approve that in addition to the County's sales tax, it would raise the County's sales tax to 9% - the highest in all of California. Both sales tax proposals, if they become law, would further increase the already high cost of living and doing business in Santa Clara County. SCVTARU feels both sales tax proposals are regressive. The proposals hurt small businesses and those living on fixed incomes the hardest - particularly residents in East San Jose and Gilroy, since more of the income would be spent on the sales taxes. SCVTARU asks what would happen when small businesses and working families leave Santa Clara County for cheaper areas of California - if not leave California altogether. How much less sales tax revenue would the County and VTA get? The stigma of Santa Clara County having California's highest sales tax at 9% by this time next year deeply concerns SCVTARU. Hence, we are calling on the County Supervisors and the VTA Board to rescind these sales tax proposals at their respective meeting this Tuesday and Thursday, respectively. It is long past time for the County and VTA do what every Santa Clara County resident has had to do the “dot com” crash after 2000 - live within modest means and make wise spending decisions. ### About the Santa Clara VTA Riders Union --------------------------------------- Based in Mountain View, CA and founded in October 2000 by Eugene Bradley, the Santa Clara VTA Riders Union (SCVTARU) is a grassroots organization dedicated to ensuring that our elected officials provide cost-effective, frequent, and reliable public transportation in Santa Clara County. Our group is not affiliated with the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) in any way whatsoever. Our web site is at www.vtaridersunion.org. More information on SCVTARU can be found at the following URLs: http://www.vtaridersunion.org/whoarewe/who.html http://www.vtaridersunion.org/PR