Historic Bond Measure to be on November Ballot

Compiled by Sarah Finn Haskell
Executive Director		 Miracle on Clybourne Street

Editorial by Bill Powers
Director of Membership & Planning, Past Chair

UCC Board Members Pam Corradi, Bill Powers, Sean McCarthy and Joe Vitti attended a press conference Monday morning on the historic $37 billion Bond Measure that will be on the November ballot.  Governor Schwarzenegger was joined by state legislators Senators Don Perata (President Pro Tempore), Dick Ackerman, Richard Alarcon, Assemblymembers Fabian Nunez (Speaker), George Plescia (Republican Assembly Leader), Dario Frommer,  Betty Karnette, Mark Ridley-Thomas and Sharon Runner at Million Air in Burbank.  Representing the city of Los Angeles were Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa,  and LA City Councilmembers Wendy Greuel, Greig Smith, Tom LaBonge and Janice Hahn.  LA County Supervisors Michael Antonovich and Zev Yaroslavsky were also there to strongly endorse the historic bond measure.
 
The broad partisan support of $20 billion for transportation, $10.4 billion for education, $4 billion for levees and $3 billion for housing was discussed.  Each of these 4 needs will appear as separate measures on the November ballot.  On the Transportation Bond, Governor Schwarzenegger said the 405 HOV lane would be funded with the Transportation Bond.  Mayor Villaraigosa expressed his eagerness to work toward the realization of the “Subway to the Sea” project along with more HOV lanes and better overall transportation for the City of Los Angeles.  He further expressed the need for goods movement and housing.  The greatest percentage of the $10.4 billion for education will be spent on community colleges. 
 
Mayor Villaraigosa and Speaker Nunez delivered a portion of their comments in Spanish. 
 
All the speakers praised the bipartisan cooperation and compromise that all parties made to get final approval of the Bonds.  Governor Schwarzenegger said that he will continue his campaigning for the Bond measures with anyone that approves of this first step in his "Strategic Growth Plan" for California to meet the needs of the growing population. The state has not passed any major infrastructure improvement for 4 decades and everyone agrees that it is absolutely necessary to do it NOW.
Can it be?  Has the force field separating Democrats and Republicans in the State legislature finally been breached?  Can dialogue replace dialectic and acrimony in Sacramento?
 
Well, there are signs that just that might be occurring.  Some of us that first complained and then grumbled, shouted and eventually despaired that our legislators could only act in a partisan manner now may have a glimmer of hope again.  You see, our very own legislature passed a bipartisan infrastructure bill that was announced today by our Governor and leaders on both sides of the Sacramento aisles.  Yes, not only did both sides pass it, they both stood together and announced their mutual support for it!
 
It WAS about time.  Our infrastructure here in California has been ignored since the halcyon days of Pat Brown, well over thirty years ago.  In other words, it took 30 years for interim legislatures to take care of business.  But now they have.  Is it because all of a sudden they remembered why they were elected in the first place?  Some cynics among us would doubt that.  Is it because they finally got the message that all the voters were fed up with their irresponsible behavior?  Of their failure to act in the common interest?  Their failure to act with civility and statesmanship up to now?  Maybe.  Or maybe it was a political miracle.  I for one don't much care.  Whether they were pushed into enlightenment by fear  of losing their jobs or a sudden onslaught of insight, it's all the same to me.  I am just glad that for this one time they got together and did what they should have been doing all along.  It is a blessing and one never turns away from even just one of those.
 
On behalf of all Californians, thanks to our legislators for doing a good job.  Most of all thanks are due to our Governor, who had the breadth of vision  to understand what we needed and  the courage  and determination to fight through all the obstacles and make it happen.  He may have played a hero on the silver screen, but today he was a real one for all of us.