California to vote on gas tax, vehicle fees

Californians in November will vote on whether to repeal the state's gas tax increase and vehicle fees that are slated to provide billions of dollars for transportation projects over the next few years.

The initiative was added to the ballot after petitioners collected more than 585,000 signatures, the Los Angeles Times reported earlier this week.

The ballot measure would remove the fuel tax increase and vehicle fees, and require majority voter approval for the California State Legislature to impose, increase or extend fuel taxes or vehicle fees in the future.

Portions of the revenue from the new vehicle fees would be set aside for California's Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program, according to the text of Senate Bill 1, which established the gas tax increase and vehicle fees. The program is also funded through the state's cap-and-trade program.

In April, the California State Transportation Agency awarded more than $2.6 billion for rail and transit projects through the Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program.

National Republican lawmakers — including House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) — have teamed up with California GOP leaders to finance the campaign to kill the gas tax and fee increases. They spent $1.7 million to get the initiative on the ballot, the Times reported.

The California State Legislature approved Senate Bill 1 in April 2017.