Is the Gas Tax Working for Laguna?
Here’s a question for the residents of Laguna Beach who voted to increase the gas tax because our infrastructure, our roads and bridges were crumbling. Have you noticed that the roads in Laguna, Orange County or even the state of California are getting better? Have you driven from Southern California to Las Vegas? When you crossed the state line into Nevada, are the roads better or worse than California?
Our governor and the Democrat legislature assured us that the money would only go to improving our roads. But there was some wiggle room. Enough wiggle room for Gov. Newsom to sign an executive order directing gas tax money to combat global warming, fund railway and other projects. This all despite Prop 69 “Transportation Taxes and Fees Lockbox,” which was designed to convince the public that what the governor did would never happen.
It was a masterpiece of public relations flimflam. And so, just like many other times in the past 30 years, the public was convinced that this time the politicians really meant to fix our roads and bridges. And if Prop 69 wasn’t enough, the massive advertising campaign to not repeal the gas tax featured actors depicting firefighters, policemen and other first responders. They claimed that without the new taxes, our bridges would be at risk of collapsing and many could die because our roads and bridges weren’t being properly maintained.
Right on cue, Gov. Newsom, issued his executive order. So my fellow citizens of Laguna, I ask that you drive Coast Highway and count the number of times your car hits a poorly repaired strip of asphalt that rattles your teeth.
California’s gas tax is the highest in the nation—61.2 cents per gallon (CPG). Our neighbor Nevada is 33.78 CPG, and they are #19 in the nation. Here in Laguna Beach, as of this writing, the cost of a gallon of gas varies from a low of $3.65 to a high of $3.97. If you drive to Costco, you only pay $3.35.
Now Gov. Newsom is asking Attorney General Xavier Becerra to investigate the cause of the high price of gasoline in California. Perhaps he should look in the mirror as a first step and explain why we aren’t fracking more in California, and why California imports most of its oil for refining, with 38 percent of that coming from Saudi Arabia.
The reason given for diverting the funds? “The governor and Caltrans claim that the diversion of funds is justified by the need to do something about climate change.” Even more unbelievable is that California’s anti-pollution laws favor getting oil from a country like Saudi Arabia. California produces about 31 percent of the crude oil it needs; 11 percent comes from Alaska. So domestic sources account for 42 percent of the oil California uses, and foreign sources supply about 48 percent; Saudi Arabia is 38 percent of all imports. That is why gas prices jumped so much in the Golden State after the attack on the Saudi refineries by Iran.
Let’s recall the ads that ran to keep the gas tax. Repealing it, they said, would put lives at risk. I guess Gov. Newsom and the supporters of the tax were either lying, exaggerating, or they don’t care about putting “lives at risk.” You decide.
According to the LA Times, the gas tax passed by the legislature will continue to go up for the next 10 years.
Emil Monda has lived in Laguna Beach for 25 years with his wife, Michèle, and three sons. He is president of the Laguna Beach Republicans and a member of the Laguna Art Museum Board of Trustees.
Emil, there are those of us — I am one, you are not — who don’t think our gas taxes are nearly high enough to dissuade us from driving lemming-like, one person per car, over the cliff to our extinction as a species. That said, you can ease your fiscal pain by driving less, biking, walking, taking public transit, carpooling, or buying a Tesla.
A Trump supporter writing a column decrying executive overreach. That’s rich. These people have no shame, so let’s get into it:
1. Donald Trump promised Mexico would pay for his vanity wall and when that didn’t work redirected money meant for military families to pay for it. I cannot find Mr. Monda’s post decrying Mr. Trump’s redirecting of funds.
2. If Mr. Monda had bothered to read the bill as passed he would see that the portion of money being diverted is discretionary. That’s right. Mr. Newsome is using the discretionary portion of funds for discretionary purposes. The horror. In fact, even CalTrans specifically stated that, “Caltrans is very supportive of this executive order, but the order does not divert any money from (our) projects.”
3. Mr. Monda somehow believed the gas tax was going to make the drive to Vegas easier and was going to fix potholes in Laguna. Caltrans makes no mention of such projects earmarked. I don’t know where Emil got this from and can only assume he’s just making it up.
4. Mr. Monda makes an apple to oranges comparison regarding price of gas in Nevada vs. price in California. The list is long, like blended fuel in California and our refinery capacity, but every study available regarding California’s gas prices boils down to good ‘ol supply and demand. You know, the free market. Something Republicans used to believe in. California is the 6th largest economy on the entire planet with a population of 40 million people. Nevada has a population of 3 million people. Nevada has no blended fuel, a tiny population and legal prostitution and gambling to help finance the state. Perhaps Mr. Monda and his ilk would like to have prostitutes in Laguna Beach so he can save a couple cents per gallon on his gas, but I don’t.
When a Trump supporter tries to make nonsense arguments, especially as pertains to executive overreach they deserve to be mocked for their hypocrisy. These people are, to quote Mr. Monda, “either lying, exaggerating or just don’t care.” But regardless of motivation their intellectual dishonesty deserves our scorn. These are not serious people and should be treated as such.
Thank you Chris Quilter and Rick Blaine for illuminating the darkness of Monda’s diatribe.
Good to know others in Laguna are willing to call out bullsh*t when it’s being shoveled in front of us….
And a toast to downtown and Hospitality Night! Umbrella, where are you?