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COMMUTERS OFFERED TWO GRIDLOCK REMEDIES: ANTACID AND PROP. 35 LOS ANGELES – They offered early morning commuters antacid tablets as a short-term remedy for traffic gridlock, but Proposition 35 supporters today said the November ballot measure is a critical part of any long term solution and urged the road warriors to get registered to vote and to vote by mail. Starting in the pre-dawn light of 5:30 a.m., Prop. 35 campaigners handed out voter registration forms on the last day they can be mailed and vote-by-mail applications on what is the first day those ballots are available. Proposition 35 simply gives state and local government the flexibility to use private sector engineers and architects to complete overdue highway, rail transit and other projects on time and on budget. "Forty-three percent of commuters believe traffic got worse in just the last year," said Ted Green, grass roots coordinator for Taxpayers for Fair Competition, the coalition supporting Proposition 35. "If these commuters have to get up any earlier to go to work, they’ll be able to get dressed watching Jay Leno. "Prop. 35 will allow us to get public and private engineers on the job to get much needed transportation projects moving. An economic study found Prop. 35 will save taxpayers $2.5 billion each year by allowing public/private partnerships to keep projects on track." Thousands of projects have been identified and the state’s huge surplus has helped provide funding, but a small group of Caltrans bureaucrats – trying to keep all work in-house -- has severely restricted the state’s ability to contract with the private sector. Prop. 35 would give governments the ability to use private engineers and architects when that is the best way to get projects completed. "A recent study found traffic costs California $8 million a day in wasted time and fuel. No one is more aware of the need for Prop. 35 than those sacrificing time with family and friends to fight the traffic," Green said. More information on the initiative is available at www.YesProp35.com. More than 400 organizations support Proposition 35. They include the California Taxpayers’ Association, Automobile Club of Southern California, Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce, State Building and Construction Trades Council of California (AFL-CIO), Greater Los Angeles African American Chamber of Commerce, Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers – Los Angeles Chapter, Californians for Better Transportation and 26 cities in Los Angeles County. |
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