|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
Local Transportation Priorities and Funding When asked about a list of local transportation projects, 33 percent of Orange County residents say freeway and highway improvements should have the highest priority for transportation funds. Another 21 percent favor building a light rail line, 18 percent choose expanding the public bus system, and 14 percent want upgrades to local streets and roads. These priorities are very similar to those expressed last year. Funding freeways and highways is the top choice for transportation dollars in North and South County alike. South County residents, however, give a higher priority than those in the North to building a light rail system (27% to 19%). North County residents give slightly higher priority than South County residents to funding local streets and roads (15% to 11%) and local public buses (19% to 14%). For Latinos, support for expanding the bus system is the top choice for transportation funding, and they rank it much more highly than whites (30% to 11%). Only one-quarter of Latinos want freeways and highways to be the top transportation priority, compared to 37 percent of whites. Those with incomes below $40,000 also say public buses should be the primary focus for transportation funding. More than two-thirds of Orange County residents are somewhat (58%) or very (10%) satisfied with the way Measure M sales tax funds are being used for transportation projects. These percentages are similar to percentages over the past few years. Satisfaction is high in the North (70%) and the South County (62%). Despite this satisfaction, support for extending the Measure M sales tax beyond its current 2011 expiration date falls just short of the two-thirds majority requirement among all adults (65%) and registered voters (62%). Although support does reach a supermajority among Democrats (69%), only a simple majority of Republicans (59%) and independents (60%) say they would vote in favor of extending the sales tax. Among likely voters, 60 percent would vote yes, 31 percent would vote no, and 9 percent are not sure. Moreover, residents are not ready to lower the requirement
for passing a local sales tax from a two-thirds majority to
55 percent. Nearly half of residents (49%) and a majority of
registered voters (53%) oppose lowering the requirement, while
44 percent of residents and 41 percent of likely voters support
it. A majority of Democrats would vote to lower the requirement,
but 60 percent of Republicans are against it. Among likely
voters, 39 percent would vote yes, 56 percent would vote no,
and 5 percent are not sure. Latinos (62%) are much more likely
than whites (36%) to favor the measure.
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||