Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

Corporation for Public Broadcasting to Close After Funding Cut, in Blow to Local Media

1 day ago

‘Freedom Week’: California Gun Owners Rush to Buy Ammo After Court Ruling

2 days ago

Wall Street Selloff Sparked by Trump Tariffs, Amazon Results, Weak Payrolls

2 days ago

US Construction Spending Extends Decline in June

2 days ago

Global Shares in Red After US Jobs Data, Trump’s Tariff Salvo

2 days ago

Construction of $200M Trump Ballroom at the White House to Begin in September

2 days ago

US Senate Committee Backs $1 Billion for Ukraine in Pentagon Spending Bill

3 days ago

Trump Says Mexico Trade Deal Extended for 90 Days

3 days ago

Fresno Unified Trustee Susan Wittrup Responds to $162,000 Payout

3 days ago
VMT Opponents Say Plan Is Tax on Car-Driving Commuters
TLBBHMAP3-U010ALB5ANM-348f959abae2-512-300x300-1
By Jim Jakobs, Digital Producer
Published 5 years ago on
June 29, 2020

Share

A coalition of 30 business and industry associations have asked Gov. Gavin Newsom to delay a controversial plan affecting new development for one year.

Among the groups: the Southern California Leadership Council, LA County Economic Development Corp., California Business Roundtable, Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce, and California Building Industry Association.

The Building Industry Association of Southern California produced a YouTube video (below) and sent it to Newsom. A source tells GV Wire℠ the governor’s office received the video and called the California Building Industry Association. It’s not known what was discussed.

The SoCal BIA video says that VMT, in effect, will be a tax on new home buyers who commute in cars.

VMT Takes Effect on Wednesday

The groups are concerned about the Vehicle Miles Traveled plan scheduled to take effect Wednesday. That’s when housing construction projects will no longer be assessed a fee by how much traffic congestion they are expected to generate.

Instead, a VMT calculation will be applied. For instance, if a person drives to multiple places a day — work, store, soccer practice, etc. — all of those miles are counted up. Then a fee is calculated for the development, with the funds going to subsidize items such as vanpools, mass transit passes, and bike lanes.

VMT is the implementation plan for Senate Bill 743, which Gov. Jerry Brown signed into law in 2013. VMT’s backers say it will be an effective tool to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Projects Economically, Technically Infeasible: Opponents

“New VMT mandates will predictably render many housing projects economically and technically infeasible. The looming VMT mandate is all the more concerning now that economic survival and recovery are at stake,” the letter to the governor states.

“We are concerned that the new VMT requirements will add significant cost, complexity, and liability to construction projects. It is foreseeable that much-needed housing and roadway projects will be the most impacted.”

An official with the Building Industry Association of Fresno-Madera Counties has estimated that the VMT fees for a 20-unit project in Clovis would be $460,000 over 30 years — or $23,000 a unit. And, while the developer bears the costs upfront, it is passed on to homebuyers and renters.

“New VMT mandates will predictably render many housing projects economically and technically infeasible.” — 30 business and industry associations, in a letter to Gov. Gavin  Newsom

Coalition Ltr to Gov Newsom Requesting One Year Delay of VMT (06 25 20) Final (Text)

Pandemic Problems

With the Wednesday deadline bearing down, many local governments are still trying to wrap their arms around the plan’s implications.

The coalition addresses those concerns in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The implementation process has been complicated both by the pandemic and the fact that the State’s guidance appropriately avoids being so prescriptive as to make implementation uniform and easy,” the letter states.

Photo of Kate Gordon, California Office of Planning and Research

“While many local governments are currently closed in order to practice social distancing, the shift to VMT does not require an action on the part of the jurisdiction to formally adopt VMT.” — Kate Gordon, director, the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research

Keeping Home Ownership Dream Alive

The coalition argues another regulation on the housing industry will further put the dream of homeownership out of reach for many because homes simply won’t be built.

“Additionally, industry analyses indicate that the new VMT mandates will increase the cost of all housing types (including infill); and cost impacts will be particularly acute for suburban, new town and greenfield projects, which historically have been our state’s most affordable housing types,” the coalition said.

“We appreciate your commitment to keeping the California Dream of homeownership alive. In the best of times, keeping and fulfilling such a commitment is a huge challenge. Regrettably, we find ourselves today in what is, in many respects, the worst of times.”

Governor’s Office of Planning & Research

GV Wire℠ has reached out to the governor’s press office multiple times for comment on VMT but has yet to receive a response.

However, on April 20, GV Wire℠ heard from Kate Gordon, director of the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research.

“There has been no change to the deadlines contained within CEQA (California Environmental Quality Act), including the SB 743 (VMT) implementation deadline,” wrote Gordon in an email. “Regarding the impact of COVID-10 and social distancing on this deadline: While many local governments are currently closed in order to practice social distancing, the shift to VMT does not require an action on the part of the jurisdiction to formally adopt VMT.”

Here is the coalition’s letter.


 

 

 

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

India Will Buy Russian Oil Despite Trump’s Threats, Officials Say

DON'T MISS

The US Said It Had No Choice but to Deport Them to a Third Country. Then It Sent Them Home

DON'T MISS

Trump Reaffirms Support for Morocco’s Sovereignty Over Western Sahara

DON'T MISS

Fresno’s Dog Daze Fest Returns With The Chainsmokers Headlining

DON'T MISS

Willow the Streetwise Poodle Mix Gets a Second Chance

DON'T MISS

Newsom Wants Voters to Weigh In on New Congressional Districts in November

DON'T MISS

Kia America Recalls 201,149 US Telluride Vehicles

DON'T MISS

US Reviewing Visa Denial for Venezuelan Little League Players, State Department Says

DON'T MISS

Hamas Says It Won’t Disarm Unless Independent Palestinian State Established

DON'T MISS

Gifford Fire Grows to 23,588 Acres in Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo Counties

UP NEXT

Gifford Fire Grows to 23,588 Acres in Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo Counties

UP NEXT

US Judges Speak Out About Death Threats, ‘Swattings,’ and ‘Pizza Doxings’

UP NEXT

Corporation for Public Broadcasting to Close After Funding Cut, in Blow to Local Media

UP NEXT

Ghislaine Maxwell Moved From Florida Prison to Lower-Security Facility

UP NEXT

‘Freedom Week’: California Gun Owners Rush to Buy Ammo After Court Ruling

UP NEXT

Yosemite’s Largest Campground Reopens Friday After $26.2 Million Renovation

UP NEXT

Kamala Harris Will Not Run for Governor of California in 2026

UP NEXT

California Under Tsunami Advisory After Magnitude 8.7 Earthquake

UP NEXT

As Trump Cuts Education, Candidates Line Up for California’s Top Schools Job

UP NEXT

What’s Behind California’s Frozen Housing Market?

Fresno’s Dog Daze Fest Returns With The Chainsmokers Headlining

14 hours ago

Willow the Streetwise Poodle Mix Gets a Second Chance

14 hours ago

Newsom Wants Voters to Weigh In on New Congressional Districts in November

15 hours ago

Kia America Recalls 201,149 US Telluride Vehicles

15 hours ago

US Reviewing Visa Denial for Venezuelan Little League Players, State Department Says

15 hours ago

Hamas Says It Won’t Disarm Unless Independent Palestinian State Established

15 hours ago

Gifford Fire Grows to 23,588 Acres in Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo Counties

15 hours ago

Fresno Donates Firefighting Gear to Sister City Guadalajara

16 hours ago

Corruption Scandal Puts Mexico’s President on Defense Against Trump

16 hours ago

US Judges Speak Out About Death Threats, ‘Swattings,’ and ‘Pizza Doxings’

1 day ago

India Will Buy Russian Oil Despite Trump’s Threats, Officials Say

NEW DELHI — Indian officials said Saturday that they would keep purchasing cheap oil from Russia despite a threat of penalties from Presiden...

11 hours ago

A view shows oil pump jacks outside Almetyevsk in the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia June 4, 2023. (Reuters File)
11 hours ago

India Will Buy Russian Oil Despite Trump’s Threats, Officials Say

A Lao man deported from the U.S. holds up his non-national ID card - a document that defines his legal status in the country he left behind decades ago, and to which he has now returned, in Vientiane, Laos, July 31, 2025. REUTERS/Phoonsab Thevongsa
12 hours ago

The US Said It Had No Choice but to Deport Them to a Third Country. Then It Sent Them Home

President Donald Trump boards Air Force One on his way to New Jersey from Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, U.S., August 1, 2025. (Reuters File)
13 hours ago

Trump Reaffirms Support for Morocco’s Sovereignty Over Western Sahara

14 hours ago

Fresno’s Dog Daze Fest Returns With The Chainsmokers Headlining

After surviving more than six months alone on the streets, a 15-pound poodle mix named Willow is now safe and learning to trust humans again. (Mell's Mutts)
14 hours ago

Willow the Streetwise Poodle Mix Gets a Second Chance

California Governor Gavin Newsom speaks to the press after a hearing on the use of National Guard troops amid federal immigration sweeps, at the California State Supreme Court in San Francisco, California, U.S., June 12, 2025. (Reuters FIle)
15 hours ago

Newsom Wants Voters to Weigh In on New Congressional Districts in November

2025 Kia Telluride is displayed during the Los Angeles Auto Show, in Los Angeles, California, U.S., November 21, 2024. (Reuters File)
15 hours ago

Kia America Recalls 201,149 US Telluride Vehicles

Venezuelan baseball player Abraham Gutierrez, a member of Cacique Mara, a baseball youth team that will not be participating in the 2025 Little League World Series after their U.S. visa was denied, prepares for a practice session in Maracaibo, Venezuela, August 1, 2025. REUTERS/Gaby Oraa TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
15 hours ago

US Reviewing Visa Denial for Venezuelan Little League Players, State Department Says

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend