SACRAMENTO — California's nation-leading gas prices are set to climb even higher Monday, when the state gas tax increases another 5.6 cents a gallon. It's the latest increase from a 2017 law designed to raise about $5 billion a year for road and mass transit programs. The total tax on...
Proposed Rules Mean Fresnans Can Water More, Be Fined Less
Update, 4/11/2019: Fresno city council approved, 6-0, changes in the city's water monitoring program. Additionally, water users can water until 10 a.m. (no watering is allowed on any day between 10 a.m.-6 p.m.). Also, fines won't start until May 2020, giving one year to implement the program. The city will...
Council Progressives Draw a Hard Line on Gas Tax Dollars
On a Monday afternoon, Lee Brand and Miguel Arias stood side by side, shoveling dirt at a police station groundbreaking. Hours earlier, Arias was anything but smiles with Fresno’s mayor. He, along with three other council members, criticized Brand’s plan on how to spend $12 million in state funding for...
How Electric Cars Could Make America’s Crumbling Roads Worse
U.S. roads and bridges are in abysmal shape – and that was before the recent winter storms made things even worse. In fact, the government rates over one-quarter of all urban interstates as in fair or poor condition and one-third of U.S. bridges need repair. To fix the potholes and...
Who's #1? Nunes-Janz Most Expensive House Race in Nation.
According to the campaign finance tracking website Open Secrets, the battle between Devin Nunes and Andrew Janz is the most expensive congressional race in the country. Based on the criteria of money raised by the candidates — not independent expenditure groups — the two garnered $17.7 million in contributions through...
Emails Show California Agency's Cozy Ties to Gas Tax Backers
SACRAMENTO — As the political battle to overturn California's gas tax increase intensified, the state transportation agency coordinated frequently with the public affairs firm working to block the repeal on behalf of unions, construction companies and local government groups, emails obtained by The Associated Press show. The California State Transportation...
California Ballot Initiative Seeks to End High-Speed Rail
SACRAMENTO — Opponents of the California gas tax increase passed by state legislators last year on Tuesday proposed a new ballot measure for 2020 to provide money for road repairs and eliminate the state's $77 billion high-speed rail project. The backers of the 2020 measure are also behind Proposition 6,...
Did State Workers Help Pro-Gas Tax Effort? Watchdog Investigates.
SACRAMENTO — California's campaign watchdog said Wednesday it is investigating whether a campaign to preserve the state's recent gas tax hike violated finance rules. The Fair Political Practices Commission will look into a complaint filed by the opposing campaign that alleges state employees distributed fliers urging voters to keep the...
Who Are Real Poverty Pimps? They're Democrats: Walters
By most metrics, California has a poverty problem. One out of every five Golden Staters lives below the “line,” which recently has been recalibrated and no longer masks the truth. CALmatter’s Dan Walters opines that he knows the main culprit in his July 22 column: “California has an immense poverty...
Cox in Fresno: Champions Water, Backs Gas Tax Repeal
John Cox blames regulations for hurting California’s efforts to build homes and roads, and store water. During a stop in the Fresno area Wednesday (July 18), the Republican gubernatorial candidate promised that things would change if he is elected in November. Cox, not unexpectedly, also criticized his opponent, Lt. Gov....