[ Excerpts from the Ventura County Democratic Party website]

Moving the Central Coast Forward was a meeting about regional transportation needs held on Saturday, January 31, 2009 in the cafeteria at Ventura College.

Hosted by ASERT, the Alliance for a Sustainable and Equitable Regional Transportation, and by CAUSE, the Central Coast Alliance United for a Sustainable Economy, the meeting featured keynote speaker Senator Alan Lowenthal who chairs the California Senate Committee on Transportation and Housing. There was also a panel of speakers: Rick Cole, Ventura City Manager; Esperanza Martinez of the Los Angeles 
Bus Riders’ Union; and Das Williams from the Santa Barbara City Council...





... In both Los Angeles County and Santa Barbara County, voters approved a .5% sales tax to be used exclusively to fund transportation. Ventura County has no such tax base for transportation. This is a classic case of them that has gets. City Council Member Das Williams from Santa Barbara pointed out that when Los Angeles or Santa Barbara Counties petition the state or federal governments for assistance, they are able to demonstrate that they have money of their own for the projects. Santa Barbara can go to Lois Capps and say, “We need three dollars; we’ve got two dollars. Can you give us a dollar?” Ventura County has to go to Lois Capps and say, “We need three dollars. Can you give us three dollars?” It’s not hard to figure out who’s likely to end up with three dollars...

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For full text and images, please go to:

Moving the Central Coast Forward Transporation Summit, 2008