FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Proposition 35, the Fair Competition and Taxpayer Savings Act, will be on the November 7 ballot.

"Prop. 35 will save California taxpayers $2.5 billion a year – just in costs related to transportation," said Steve Moss, public policy analyst, M. Cubed, and author of the report. "Prop. 35 will mean work to expand or improve freeways and transit systems, as well as seismic upgrades and other public works projects will all be done more quickly.

"That saves money, and also means Californians enjoy the benefits of that work sooner – such as less time lost in traffic jams."

According to the report, entitled "Economic Impact Analysis of the Fair Competition and Taxpayer Savings Initiative," the use of public-private partnerships, which is now severely restricted inCalifornia, has been a proven success in California and around the nation.

"This is a straightforward measure," explained Moss. "Prop. 35 simply gives California’s state and local governments the flexibility to use qualified public and private architects and engineers. That will allow California to put everyone to work on the state’s infrastructure needs – and with thousands of projects already in the pipeline, California needs everyone on the job."

Proposition 35 would bring California in line with the rest of the nation. Most other states, and the federal government, currently contract out some portion of their design and engineering work.

"We’ve got more than enough work for everyone, public and private sector architects and engineers alike," said Carol Evans, senior policy analyst with the California Taxpayers’ Association (CalTax), a member of the Prop. 35 coalition. "But thanks to a series of lawsuits brought by a small group of Caltrans bureaucrats, our ability to contract out work to the private sector has been severely restricted. That’s why we need Prop. 35."

Proposition 35 only addresses contracting with private sector architects and engineers, but as the economic impact report found – those services are the "gateway" to construction. Nothing can be built until the design and engineering work is completed.

"Californians don’t need an expert to tell them that traffic is bad, and it’s getting steadily worse," added CalTax’s Evans. "What they do need is some relief. The state’s new transportation plan puts money on the table to start solving our traffic problems – Prop. 35 puts everyone to work so we can use that money as quickly and productively as possible."

Prop. 35 is supported by a large and diverse coalition which includes more than a dozen taxpayer organizations, the California Chamber of Commerce, League of California Cities, Californians for Better Transportation, State Building and Construction Trades Council (AFL-CIO), California State Association of Counties, Consulting Engineers and Land Surveyors of California, California Taxpayer Protection Committee, Coalition for Adequate School Housing, Operating Engineers – Local #3 (AFL-CIO), American Institute of Architects -- California Chapter, earthquake safety experts and more than 150 individual cities, counties and school districts.


Updated 8/16/00


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