VTA set to move on quarter-cent tax VTA set to move on quarter-cent tax (June 17, 2005)

Despite objections from North County, agency still lacks a backup plan

By Jon Wiener

San Jose Mayor Ron Gonzales has never made a secret of the fact that he wants a new sales tax to pay for the BART project voters thought they were getting five years ago. So his proposal that Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) draw up a plan based on an additional quarter-cent sales tax comes as no shock to those enmeshed in the debate over the project.

But the proposal is a crucial first step toward another high-stakes campaign over a new sales tax, a campaign likely to take place next year.

The quest for a new tax could ultimately decide the fate of the BART extension. Opponents say that even a second tax is not enough to build the line, but if voters turn it down, supporters admit they will have a hard time resurrecting the project.

In a memo to the VTA board, Gonzales cited the popular support for Measure A in 2000 and the results of a recent survey sponsored by a group of business interests that found 60 percent of residents said they supported the quarter-cent tax -- unlike a half-cent option that the agency had previously discussed. Either option would require two-thirds support from the voters.

"I believe it is now time to propose specific ideas that will facilitate this discussion and help staff to develop a long-term capital plan," Gonzales' memo read.

The proposal would reject a request from many cities, including Mountain View, to develop a plan that does not depend on a new tax. According to Gonzales, without some new sales tax VTA will be forced to make cuts to services -- though an agency spokesperson says VTA will operate at a surplus next year.

Mountain View City Council member Greg Perry has been among those asking for such a plan in his role on a VTA advisory board. He said the proposal to forgo a no-new-taxes plan is political.

"There's no question that we should have some proposal about what we should do with current revenues," said Perry.

Margaret Okuzumi, director of the BayRail Alliance, is organizing a meeting in San Carlos after the VTA board meeting to build support for an alternative project to run high-speed trains along the Amtrak corridor.

A quarter-cent sales tax, she said, "isn't enough to deliver the full program if the BART extension is made the centerpiece project. Even if a new tax passed, it would not create real gains in making public transit functional and convenient for most in the county."

The 12-member VTA board (five are appointed by Gonzales) is scheduled to discuss the proposal June 14.
E-mail Jon Wiener at jwiener@mv-voice.com

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