Things aren't looking too good in California

With the Governator on his way into office, things aren't looking too hot in California for mass transit, according to the Contra Costa Times:

The day after Gov.-elect Arnold Schwarzenegger takes office, state transportation officials expect to release a drastically reduced five-year estimate of gas tax receipts.

At best, the state will have no money for new highway or transit projects for five years, wrote California Transportation Commission Chairman R. Kirk Lindsey in a letter to Schwarzenegger Chief of Staff Patricia Clarey.

At worst, if the state continues to borrow highway funds and Congress fails to reverse a shortfall created by a lower federal tax rate on ethanol, a newly mandated component of gasoline, officials could be forced to cut by two-thirds some $5 billion in planned work.

In addition, the crisis could compel the state to postpone an additional $3.5 billion in projects from Gov. Gray Davis' highly touted 2000 Transportation Congestion Relief Program.

Expect delays of months or years in long-awaited projects such as the fourth bore in the Caldecott Tunnel, Vasco Road safety work, widening of I-238 in Alameda County, BART connector to the Oakland Airport and the San Jose BART extension.

The crisis could also stall up to 18 months the widening of hypercongested Highway 4 in east Contra Costa County from Loveridge to Somersville road, according to county transportation officials.

Precisely how the governor-elect intends to cope with mounting transportation debt, stalled projects and dire forecasts remains largely unknown.

He has not made public any transportation-related appointments or placed any renowned transportation specialists on his transition team, and most of his specific financing proposals have disappeared from his Web site.

And given the LA transit strike, among other things, this doesn't bode well for the future of public transit in California. We all know who gets screwed when the choice is between fixing highways and funding transit. When there isn't any money to go anywhere, the only thing certain is that it isn't going to be pretty.