A sales tax for funding transportation projects throughout Riverside County will remain on the books without a definite sunset date, ensuing that the county will have the “most effective tool” available to generate revenue in support of upgrades going forward, officials said Friday.
“By renewing Measure A, voters have once again chosen to invest in their own future by maintaining funding for our transportation system,” Riverside County Transportation Commission Chairman Ray Gregory said Friday. “Within every region across the county, Measure A funding will help keep people moving and our communities connected by improving local streets and roads, completing highway projects and maintaining transit services.”
With most votes tabulated and certification of the Nov. 3 General Election results only a few weeks away, Measure A had cleared the two-thirds super-majority threshold needed for renewal, securing 70.7% of votes cast, according to the Office of the Registrar of Voters.
It’s the second time since 1988, when the measure took effect, that voters declared that the half-cent retail transactions and use tax should continue. Measure A was previously due to end in 2039. It’s now indefinite — unless voters propose otherwise.
“Measure A is the foundation for transportation improvements in Riverside County,” RCTC Executive Director Aaron Hake said. “Measure A is local funding prioritized by local leaders to meet local needs with local accountability. The county is growing and faces significant transportation challenges. Measure A is our most effective tool to tackle these challenges.”
Opponents wrote in campaign literature that renewing the measure, which has generated almost $5 billion since its inception, will change nothing.
“The county still suffers from severe congestion, deteriorating roads and major transportation bottlenecks (despite Measure A),” they said. “Taxpayers deserve results — not another promise that the next round of tax collections will finally fix problems that previous collections were supposed to address.”
The RCTC is steward of the revenue. Its Board of Directors, numbering nearly three dozen members, decide what allocations should be made for which projects. The agency put the newly approved proposal on the ballot by resolution.
Supporters touted the use of Measure A revenue for expansion and upgrades on Highways 111, 74 and 62, as well as improvements to Interstate 10 and the Riverside (91) Freeway.
Funding has gone to pothole repairs, lane additions, sidewalk installations, railroad crossing safety mechanisms and bridge repairs. RCTC and other agencies have also joined in projects to establish express lanes on the 91 and Interstate 15, in addition to widening and reconfiguring transition ramps to ease tie-ups.
Any proposed increases in the tax would have to be voter-approved.