Local and regional transit systems come out losers under Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's proposed budget, although the trade-off is that motorists would pay less at the gas pump.
Santa Rosa and Sonoma County bus riders would feel the impacts of a proposed tax shuffle that would eliminate the 6 percent state sales tax on gas, but raise the per-gallon excise tax by 10.5 cents per gallon.
Transit officials say that would eliminate $1.5 billion earmarked statewide for transportation programs in the coming fiscal year. According to the Schwarzenegger administration, it also would lower gas prices by about 6 cents a gallon.
From a political standpoint, it would eliminate the state's obligation to use a portion of gas tax revenues for local transit.
"It will have a significant impact on transit systems throughout the state," said Bob Dunlavey, Santa Rosa's transit director. "Transit is taking the big hit."
He said Santa Rosa stands to lose as much as $2 million in the next fiscal year as a result of the governor's proposal, potentially leading to elimination of certain routes, or fewer trips.
"It will be a significant cut for county bus and city bus services everywhere," agreed Phil Demery, Sonoma County transportation and public works director.
"It really cuts transit to the quick. In times of poor economy, we are all looking to provide alternatives in transportation, like a bus system. You can't ride public transportation in most places in this state if you don't offer buses."
He called it "a double whammy on people who already are hurting under this economy."
"Each bus route costs about half a million (dollars) to run," Dunlavey said of the city's 16 bus routes. "That's three to four routes," he said of the drop in revenue the city anticipates.
He said the city bus system over the past several years has lost $4.5 million in dedicated transit funds that were redirected to the California's general fund as the state struggled to fill its budget gaps.
Santa Rosa's transit system was able to make up for the shortfall with reserves, but those are gone now, according to Dunlavey.
If the governor's proposal become reality, he said buses may run less frequently, rather than dropping routes. That will be determined in part by public hearings later this year to get input from transit riders.
Sonoma County Transit Director Bryan Albee said the county earlier this year pared back bus service by about 15 percent as a result of the state's earlier takeaway of transit funds. "People wait a little longer," he said of the service on most of the county's 20 routes.
The California Transit Association won a ruling late last year from the state Supreme Court to stop the diversion of funds. The transit organization contends Schwarzenegger's proposal is a way to circumvent the recent court rulings that outlawed the ongoing diversions of state funding dedicated to public transit.
The governor's shift would gut Proposition 42, a voter-approved measure that determines how gas sales tax money is currently split. Mass transit, which now receives 20 percent of the taxes, would be cut out of the equation.
Demery said the county's preliminary analysis of the governor's proposal showed that the state's shift of gasoline tax revenues would not affect road and bridge repair and construction projects. He said the county's road repairs receive funding from the state's 18-cent-a-gallon tax on fuel, which is paid by suppliers and which is different than the gasoline sales tax that consumers pay at the pump.
The Golden Gate Bridge District, which operates buses between Santa Rosa and San Francisco, is also affected by the governor's proposal.
It will result in about a $4 million hit to the bridge district annually, said spokeswoman Mary Currie.
She said the district is struggling with a $132 million shortfall in its budget projected for the next five years. More than two dozen measures will be considered to close the gap, including eliminating more than 30 toll booth workers in exchange for all-electronic tolling, as well as a potential bridge toll increase in 2013.
Currie said that in 2004, the bridge district reduced its bus service by 20 percent.
"We're running pretty well streamlined," she said.
This story includes information from the Los Angeles Times. Staff Writer Bleys W. Rose also contributed. You can reach Staff Writer Clark Mason at 521-5214 or clark.mason@pressdemocrat.com
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