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Open Thread: Governor Brown’s Plan to Fund Transportation

10:35 AM PDT on September 4, 2015

Yesterday, word leaked that Governor Jerry Brown was finally submitting his own plan to try and fill the state's looming $59 billion funding hole. His plan, a mix of fee increases, tax increases and funding from the state's cap-and-trade funds, would raise roughly $3.6 billion per year.

Brown
Not from yesterday. Via ##http://www.usnews.com/opinion/blogs/lara-brown/2015/08/21/jerry-brown-is-the-democrats-best-choice-to-replace-clintonUS News and World Report##

Critics on the left say the plan is not enough, business interests say the state needs to raise at least $6 billion per year.

Critics on the right refuse to support any plan that includes new taxes and fees.

For a new fee to pass, it needs the support of two-thirds of the legislature, meaning Brown needs a couple of Republicans to join the Democratic majority to pass the increase.

Here's a breakdown of how Brown will raise the fees, if his plan goes through. Leave your thoughts in the comments. Oh, and the legislative session ends on September 11; so whatever is going to happen has to happen soon.

    • $65 annual fee for motor vehicle owners,
    • 11 cent increase in the diesel tax,
    • 6 cent increase in the gas tax,
    • pinning the gas and diesel taxes to inflation so that it rises with inflation,
    • $400 million annual allocation from state's cap-and-trade funds.

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