LETTER
Prop. 53
Infrastructure finance must be a top priority for California.
Proposition 53 will fund vital infrastructure improvements without raising taxes. It would transfer 1% of the general fund to upgrades, starting in fiscal year 2006-07, with this percentage growing up to 3% over time.
For more than two decades, less than 1% of the general fund has been directed annually to this important priority, in contrast to the more than 15% during the Pat Brown and Ronald Reagan eras.
Of the many crucial infrastructure systems affected by the state’s lack of funding are our outdated drinking water and sewer systems. Recent Municipal Water District of Orange County and Business Council water reliability study results projected economic losses in the range of $436 million to $3 billion as a result of a 20% water shortage from a 10-to-60-day facilities outage.
The valuable research from the study will lead to plans for conservation, groundwater basin improvements and projects, and countywide collaboration to ensure water reliability for the county. But we will be planning for no reason unless we obtain the necessary funding to implement these tactics.
Proposition 53 funds will support important projects such as these, as well as improvements to streets, roads, highways and transit systems, bridges, public libraries, public hospitals and police and fire stations. The need is great: One-third of the state highway system needs corrective maintenance and almost half of the state’s university buildings and bridges are more than 30 years old.
Stan Oftelie
President, CEO
Orange County Business Council
