Endorsement: Yes on Los Angeles County Measure A on ballot.
Opposition: No on measure.
Vote to approve: Measure A is a proposed $7.8 billion bond measure for the Los Angeles County Regional Transportation Authority, a quasi-public agency that operates bus and subway systems in Los Angeles and 10 other cities and counties, including Orange and San Diego counties.
Measure A will generate $15.4 billion over 30 years, including $7.8 billion for the L.A. County Regional Transportation Authority, which will be funded with its surplus revenue from parking fines, fees and tolls in Los Angeles and other transit-oriented communities.
The money will cover new rail lines in L.A., rail-based systems to accommodate future light rail lines and extensions to the Red Line in Downtown Los Angeles and to the Expo Line in Northeast Los Angeles, as well as several other transit-oriented development projects in the county.
Proponents estimate that Measure A will generate $3.2 billion in new funds in the first five years, when construction starts. The remainder of the bond funds will be borrowed at a 7.75 percent interest rate.
Measure A’s author, Councilman Mike Bonin, R-Torrance, said that the proposed bond would fund new rail lines as well as light rail, the Gold Line to Los Angeles International Airport and other transit systems throughout the county.
“Transit is the lifeline of this community,” he said.
Bonin said that he hopes Measure A will be the first step in building a multimodal countywide public transportation system that is accessible, reliable and attractive, by adding rail lines and other transit systems throughout the county.
The proposed Los Angeles County Regional Transportation Authority would be overseen by a seven-member board of commissioners with authority to levy user fees from passengers and the cost of operation.
The agency would borrow half of the new tax revenue through a 30-year, $7.8 billion bond issue, with 20 years remaining at the time the bond is granted. The remaining funds might be generated by a mix of user fees, farebox or parking surcharges and other sources.
Measure A includes measures approved by the County Board of Supervisors, which passed a countywide sales tax measure in 2018.
“This is a significant step today on the road to a regional transportation system that serves all of our residents,
