City Backs Hike in Sales Tax for Transit Projects

The City of San Diego went on record Monday supporting a proposed 1/2-cent increase in the sales tax that would raise about $2.4 billion over the next 20 years for new highways, local street improvements and transit projects throughout the county.

The City Council voted 6-1 to endorse the increase, which will be on the November ballot.

The proposed tax was suggested by local transportation officials as a way to make up more than half of the $4.6 billion in transit and road projects that will go begging during the next two decades.

Under the proposal, a third of the money would go for transit projects, such as extension of the San Diego Trolley; a third would be used for highway construction, and a third would be parceled out to the county and 18 city governments for the maintenance and construction of streets. The formula would yield $340 million for San Diego improvements.

Councilman Mike Gotch, the lone dissenter Monday, said he could not support the proposal because it is not a “user fee.” He also objected to setting up a system that would call on local governments to fund highway construction, which is a responsibility of state and federal government.

“The next thing we’re going to be doing at the local government level . . . we’re going to take over immigration policy at the border,” Gotch said. “And then the next step would be perhaps the local government will solve the border sewage crisis” because the state and federal government aren’t moving fast enough.

The council’s vote, however, has no effect on whether the measure will appear on the ballot. That was decided May 23 when members of the San Diego Assn. of Governments voted 17-2, with one abstention to place the plan before voters in the fall.

In that vote, Santee and Chula Vista cast ballots against, while National City abstained.