Coronado voted to take no position on a California Assembly bill that would allow greater use of sales tax money to finance public transit systems in the state.
The city originally voted to oppose Assembly Bill 2484 (AB 2484), but Council member Carrie Anne Downey asked for this matter to be reconsidered at the May 5 meeting.
Downey initially voted with a majority to oppose the bill even though she favors it, because under parliamentary procedure that would allow her to bring it for a re-vote when all council members would be present. Council member Amy Steward was not at the original meeting where this was discussed.
The bill would allow the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) more flexibility in how it raises money for public transit through sales taxes. It also allows a bypass to get around the state’s 2% local sales tax cap.
Downey currently sits as one of the members of the MTS board of directors.
Mayor John Duncan and Council member Mark Fleming both voted no, but a motion to take no position passed on a 3-2 vote.
Downey explained that the transit agency is facing a fiscal cliff and it is predicted that funding will be cut by almost $500 million by the Trump administration. The agency also said that there is a projected budget shortage of over $100 million in the next few years.
The council member said that supporting AB 2484 just enables MTS to put a tax measure on the ballot. Without this bill, MTS would not be able to ask voters for this specific type of tax.
Downey had originally moved to support the bill on May 5, but the motion didn’t pass with Duncan, Fleming and Council member Purvis against the decision. So a second motion was made to take no position.
“If voters don’t approve it, then they’re going to have to accept raising rates and cutting routes,” Downey said. “There’s no other option at that point.”
“This is an agency that we belong to, we need them to continue,” Downey said. “I understand some people don’t like the idea of possibly raising taxes – I agree. Nobody wants to raise taxes unnecessarily, but we need this organization to survive.”
Council member Mark Fleming responded satirically and said that he was “super excited about the opportunity to perhaps get behind increasing taxes in Southern California, we pay such low taxes in the area.”
Fleming acknowledged that MTS is on a fiscal cliff, but said that he thought increasing taxes was unsustainable.
Duncan said that he could “guarantee” that if a proposition was put on the ballot in Coronado to increase taxes for MTS, “it would fail.”
He said that the agency could be run better, and he thinks the transit system can learn to operate within its budget and its revenue.
“If (MTS has) to make changes, so be it,” Duncan said.
