There are discussions taking place right now in Sacramento about how the state is going to pay for infrastructure investment. Assembly Republicans have all come together, unified behind the idea that California does not have an income shortage – but a spending problem. Golden State taxpayers already pay enough to have a lean, effective state government AND a healthy investment of current general fund dollars into basic infrasctructure investment. Assemblyman Bob Huff, a fine conservative, makes the case for pay-as-you-go in this outstanding column, and after reading it, you will agree that any responsible infrastructure plan should have this kind of component…
Solution to fix state infrastructure
By Assemblyman Bob Huff
The governor, the Senate and the Assembly are all talking about fixing infrastructure. This is great news for our state, as California’s freeway construction was largely halted in 1975. Since then, we’ve added 15 million residents, and counting. Our levees were constructed many years ago without adequate engineering, and now pose a safety threat larger than what faced New Orleans when its levees broke.
How do we proceed as a state in developing an ongoing plan to address our numerous infrastructure problems? My Republican colleagues and I have co-authored legislation that will enable California to build now, build more and spend less when making improvements to our schools, roads and crumbling levees.
Assembly Constitutional Amendment 27 would dedicate a portion of the general fund each year for statewide infrastructure – roads, levees and water delivery systems. In years when our budget grows, our investment in California’s infrastructure will also grow. Over 10 years, our plan will bring in more than $35 billion for vital projects, without having to make interest payments, as we will need to do if we sell bonds.
While California’s population has grown larger and more complex, our infrastructure needs have simmered on the back burner in Sacramento, sacrificed to expanding social programs and special interests. Over the last two years alone, revenues and spending have grown dramatically, but only a tiny percentage went to infrastructure. Infrastructure has not been a priority. As such, our roads are now constantly in gridlock, our levees are deteriorating, and our water delivery systems are inadequate for current and future demands. We must plan and build for California’s future now.
Our "pay as you go" approach, supported by the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers’ Association, is the fiscally responsible way to pay for infrastructure without incurring billions of dollars in unnecessary interest payments or raising taxes and fees on working families. By building now and paying in today’s dollars we avoid delays and rising costs.
I have also introduced legislation to get California moving again by repaying the billions of Proposition 42 transportation dollars taken in the past. AB 2028 will result in money going to road projects faster, without raising taxes and without bonds that come with expensive interest charges. This legislation is part of a package of Republican reforms that will allow California to meet its infrastructure needs.
Any solution will require bipartisan action to get the job done. I look forward to working with my colleagues to do just that. It is time to mend our levees and repair our roads to create a stronger California for all.
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Assemblyman Bob Huff, R-Diamond Bar, represents the 60th District, which includes Diamond Bar, Industry, La Habra, La Habra Heights, La Mirada, San Dimas, Walnut and Whittier.