Why are San Diego’s roads in bad shape when we pay such high gas taxes? (2024)
Working for you, we take a closer look at how the City of San Diego is spending its gas tax money.
SAN DIEGO — California’s gas tax is just over 51 cents per gallon, second in the nation behind only Pennsylvania. That money is supposed to go toward improving our roads, but San Diego’s streets are still a mess.
Now, Mayor Todd Gloria is asking voters to raise our sales tax 1% to help pay for better roads and other things we need, like an upgrade to our storm drain system.
His request led to this question from CBS 8 viewer Helen Humphries: “Mayor Gloria has proposed a 1% increase in sales tax for road repair. We already pay the highest gas prices in the country for road maintenance. Where do all the gas tax dollars go? Are they spent on roads?"
Haney said he’s not necessarily opposed to a sales tax increase, but he also has a lot of questions.
“It takes some money to pay for things like roads and storm water infrastructure, but I think where people are concerned —people are challenged— is we're not seeing performance out of the City,” Haney said. “We can't even read water meters right!”
The gas tax also funds the maintenance of "street lights, traffic signals, traffic signs, and markings, including the City's share of the Gaslamp Quarter Lighting."
“It's a budget problem. It's a priority problem,” said Richard Rider with San Diego Tax Fighters. He strongly opposes the 1% sales tax hike. In fact, he fears it will do more harm than good.
“It doesn't solve the problem by raising taxes even more and further encouraging people to leave California," Rider said.
Right now, the sales tax in the City of San Diego is 7.75%. A 1% increase would add an estimated $400 million a year to the general fund — money Mayor Gloria says the City can definitely use.
“We are the fourth lowest sales tax in the state of California,” he said.
The highest sales tax in the county right now is 8.75% in Chula Vista, National City, Del Mar, Solana Beach and Imperial Beach. La Mesa's rate is 8.5%. Oceanside, El Cajon and Vista are at 8.25%.
City officials blame a “lack of consistent funding” that has forced the transportation department to defer much-needed maintenance for the more than 6,600 miles of streets and alleys under their care: They estimated that an average of $188 million a year is needed over the next decade to achieve and maintain an average ...
Fuel analysts have attributed the recent run-up mostly to the annual transition from winter-blend gasoline to California's summer blend that is less polluting but more expensive, which means refineries reduce production to make the switch.
"California has its own blend of gasoline, it has very high taxes, and it has a cap-and-trade program," De Haan said. "All of those factor into what you pay at the pump."
Several factors go into what drivers pay for gas, including refining costs, taxes, distribution and marketing, and crude oil prices, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. High taxes are partly to blame in California. The state has the highest gasoline taxes in the nation, according to EIA.
A pipeline explosion in 2021 had already reduced capacity to move gas from Texas and neighboring states, where much of California's supply comes from. Additionally, the past few months in California have been especially cold, creating an unusually high demand for heating.
The report projected that by next year, gasoline prices could go up an average of 47 cents per gallon, with similar annual increases thereafter. "On average, from 2031 through 2046 the proposed amendments are projected to potentially increase the price of gasoline by $1.15 per gallon," the report found.
Introduction: My name is Frankie Dare, I am a funny, beautiful, proud, fair, pleasant, cheerful, enthusiastic person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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