Watch CBS News

North Bay Lawmaker Says Gov. Brown's Highway Funding Plan Will Be A Tough Sell In Legislature

SAN FRANCISCO (KPIX) -- Most California motorists can agree on one thing: that our roads need to be fixed.

As for how to pay for those repairs -- with a backlog amounting to an estimated $59 billion -- that's subject to debate, a debate that will be coming to a head this week in the state legislature.

North Bay assemblyman Marc Levine spoke about it Sunday on KPIX 5.

"We've put a deadline on the legislature to have this figured out by Friday, Sept. 11," Levine told KPIX 5's Phil Matier.

Gov. Brown has proposed a $3.6 billion package that includes an annual "highway user fee" of $65 which could be tacked on to the registration fee paid by every car and truck owner -- including owners of electric-powered cars.

RELATED ARTICLE: California's Climate Fight Comes Down To Gov. Brown's Negotiations With His Own Party

"There's a little bit of give-and-take on how do we piece together the votes necessary to pass something like this," Levine said.

The governor's proposed plan also calls for hiking the gas tax by 6 cents per gallon. It would be the first such increase in 20 years. The gas tax is already 42 cents a gallon.

No one expects the governor will get what he want without a vigorous legislative debate.

"The honest truth is, there's a lifetime between now and the end of the week, where we can figure out all of those details, but if we don't, we're probably not going to see a package," Levine said.

About half the money in Gov. Brown's proposal would go to local city and county governments to pay for roads, sidewalks and mass transit.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.