Sonoma County residents react to state gas tax for road repairs

Edward Blanco, aka “Fast Eddie,” a classic car collector from Rohnert Park, called California’s new gas tax and vehicle licensing fee “highway robbery” for people like him. Blanco owns five cars and four Harley Davidsons, for which he’ll be paying extra to keep them registered under the new gas tax approved by the California Legislature this week and headed for Gov. Jerry Brown’s desk.

The tax and fee hike bumps the gasoline excise tax by 12 cents and raises diesel excise and sales taxes, while creating a transportation improvement fee based on the value of a vehicle. It was strongly supported by Brown to fund badly-needed roadway, bridge and highway repairs across the state.

“Governor Brown should be impeached,” Blanco said Friday. “Money is already there to fix the roads, it’s just not being used for what it’s supposed to...why didn’t he put it to a vote of the people instead of a back-door through the Legislature? He knew it wouldn’t pass through the people.”

Blanco was visiting the Department of Motor Vehicles in Santa Rosa, and was among several local residents expressing concern about the new tax. Even those who supported it said they wanted assurance the money would be used for what its intended purpose: to address years of deferred roadway maintenance and repair roadways heavily damaged by historic rains.

“I’m more than willing to pay my share, but I’d like to see something for it,” said Judy Wolf of Santa Rosa as she pumped gas Friday afternoon at the Safeway gas station at Mendocino Avenue and Lewis Road.

“I like to see a difference and I like to make a difference,” she said.

On Thursday, both chambers of the Legislature passed a proposed amendment to the state Constitution that would ensure funds generated from the tax and fee hike will be used only for transportation. The measure will go to voters next year.

Pumping gas into his 2014 Subaru Outback, Fred Porter of Santa Rosa said the new tax would not significantly impact on his driving habits since his hatchback gets 28-to-30 miles a gallon.

“We’ve still got things to do, people to see,” he said, adding he supported the new tax “if it’s necessary.”

Steve Humphrey of Santa Rosa, at the pumps in front of Porter, was not so supportive.

“It’s terrible, I can’t believe they did that,” he said. “We already have the highest gas taxes in the nation.”

Humphrey said states like Arkansas and Idaho have lower taxes and cheaper gas but better roads than California.

“It’s not going to fill a pothole, it’s not going to improve our roads,” he said.

The new gas and diesel taxes start in November.

Dan Drummond, executive director of the Sonoma County Taxpayers Association, said approval of the funding package “was inevitable” and an example of what “Sacramento can do when they put their mind to it.” But he said state legislators must put the same effort into tackling the state’s pension liabilities, which he contended are “causing even bigger problems.”

Craig Harrison, co-founder of Save Our Sonoma Roads, said his organization applauded the Legislature’s approval of SB 1, as well as North Coast state Sen. Mike McGuire’s work in getting the required two-thirds vote. Harrison said Sonoma County has spent $65 million over the past four or five years to fix some 300 miles of roadway.

He said more money is needed to address the county’s 1,380-mile road system, of which 60 percent is considered to be in poor or failing condition.

“That’s even after 300 miles of repair,” he said. “If you think about this rainy season we’ve just gone through, that’s a lot of really awful roads and the roads deteriorated badly.”

Harrison noted the county is expected to receive an annual infusion of $20 million, with $8 million going to local cities and $12 million to the county road projects. He said in the four years after the money starts flowing county projects could see another 225 miles repaired.

“One of reasons we are here is so (the county doesn’t) get too comfortable and rely on the state funding,” Harrison said. “We want them to continue to maintain their current level of funding commitment to the state fund that will add to that and not replace it.”

Lauren Goodman, an agriculture worker who lives in Santa Rosa, agreed.

“If it helps projects like bridge construction and rehabilitation and road maintenance get done more efficiently and better then that’s a good thing,” he said Friday, standing outside Smothers Auto Parts on Santa Rosa Avenue.

“But if it’s something where it’s not going to be an added influx of cash and capital to do that, then we might as well just stay with the system that we have in place.”

You can reach Staff Writer Martin Espinoza at 707-521-5213 or martin.espinoza@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @renofish.