FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CARMEL – With supporters citing the need to complete thousands of overdue highway and other projects to fight gridlock throughout the state, the League of California Cities today voted to endorse Proposition 35, the Fair Competition Initiative on the November ballot.

Prop. 35 is a straightforward initiative that simply gives the state and local governments the flexibility to use private engineers and architects when it makes sense to do so – something most other states already do.

The league joins a huge coalition in support of Prop. 35 that includes the California Taxpayers’ Association, California State Association of Counties, California Chamber of Commerce, more than a dozen other taxpayer organizations, and more than 160 cities, counties, school districts and local agencies.

"There is so much work to be completed throughout California that we need to put all architects and engineers – public and private – to work to get it done," said Scott Macdonald, communications director of Taxpayers for Fair Competition.

"Public-private partnerships will help complete overdue projects sooner, do the work safely and at a taxpayer savings of $2.5 billion every year. We have the resources to get the job done – Prop. 35 will let us get to work."

The league board of directors, representing California’s cities – small and large – voted to support the initiative at its meeting in Carmel.

Lawsuits brought by a small group of bureaucrats at Caltrans have severely restricted California’s ability to contract with the private sector.

"Prop. 35 is a straightforward initiative that allows us to fix the problem and complete projects to alleviate traffic, prepare us for the next earthquake and shore up California’s ailing infrastructure," Macdonald said.

Other organizations supporting Proposition 35 include the California Special Districts Association, National Federation of Independent Business, Coalition for Adequate School Housing, Consulting Engineers and Land Surveyors of California, Operating Engineers – Local Union No. 3 (AFL-CIO), Californians for Better Transportation, California Taxpayer Protection Committee, California Minority and Women’s Business Coalition and the Coalition for Project Delivery.

Updated 8/16/00


<--- Back to Press Releases Home Page