Schwarznegger

Good news everyone.

On Monday night, Governor Schwarzenegger signed into law the "gas tax swap" package, restoring funding to the State Transit Assistance (STA) program that was zeroed-out last year.

This news comes at a particularly good time for Orange County bus riders, since OCTA decided last year that without renewed state funding, they were going to cut service again this coming September, doubling the impact of the already devastating March cuts we just suffered.

This legislation does not reverse the cuts implemented last week, and it doesn't address the loss of other bus operations funding, but it at least we will not suffer MORE cuts in September!

• Thanks again to everyone who attended last year's OCTA board meeting to defer half of the proposed March 2010 cuts to September 2010, which allowed enough time for this state funding to come through, preventing the second half of the cuts.
• Thank you to everyone who called the governor last week to restore state transit funding!

Together, bus riders can make a difference!

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Tell the Governor to Sign the New Gas Tax Legislation that Restores Bus Funding

The alternate gas tax bill — ABX8 6 — that funds transit is now on the Governor's desk for signature! This legislation will send a minimum of $350 million in transit funding annually.

It's our best and possibly only chance to prevent even more devastating bus cuts that are scheduled for September.

The Governor has publicly expressed his intention to veto this bill. We need to tell the governor today what we are going through this week in Orange County, one of the wealthiest counties in the state! Did you lose your job? Are you missing time with your kids because it takes you an extra two hours to get to work? Ask him to sign this bill — the alternate gas tax for transit. Then let us know you called, and forward this to a friend.

Call the Governor now at
213-897-0322 or 916-445-2841.
Then tell us that you called! read more→