Renewal of Measure M Myths and Facts

MYTH: Measure M is a new tax. We can’t afford any additional taxes!

Fact: Measure M is not a new tax. In fact, Measure M was approved by voters in 1990 for transportation improvement projects in three distinct areas: 1) Freeways; 2) Streets and Roads; and 3)Transit. By Renewing Measure M, voters are extending an existing half-cent sales tax they approved nearly 20 years ago, ensuring the transportation needs of Orange County’s growing population continue to be met.

MYTH: Funds generated by Measure M have been mismanaged by OCTA, and we should not reward that with renewal.

Fact: To date, every transportation project outlined in the original Measure M Plan has been completed on time and within or under budget. This was no accident, but a result of a number of safeguards written into the original plan ensuring the intent of the voters was honored. Measure M and its safeguards have allowed Orange County to become self-sufficient and its residents to feel confident that money will be managed and spent as directed by the voters.

MYTH: The Legislature recently approved a $19.9 billion transportation bond measure and a closing of the Prop. 42 loophole, both of which will appear on the November 2006 statewide ballot. These will fund transportation projects and we do not need Measure M.

Fact: Even if these statewide transportation propositions pass, the funds generated as a result would have to be distributed statewide between counties and cities. Even if Orange County gets a good share of these funds, these measures will provide less than a $1 billion to Orange County. In contrast, Measure M will provide nearly $12 billion in funds – which will be generated in Orange County and stay in Orange County with strong safeguards. Furthermore, the funds generated by Measure M give us access to local matching funds which will increase our share of state and federal funds. The best way for Orange County to take care its own future is to generate and manage our own funds through the Renewal of Measure M and not have to rely on statewide funding that may or may not find its way into our county.

MYTH: The taxpayers are paying for the cost of the campaign to Renew Measure M.

Fact: As the plan was being drafted, OCTA solicited input on the plan from every city, transportation experts, the business community, and every resident of Orange County. Their comments, including over 22,000 comments from the public, helped OCTA select the projects in the plan. Once the plan was finalized, OCTA voted not to spend any further funds communicating with voters, even though many other counties have done so. The campaign to renew Measure M is a private campaign committee using private funds, not taxpayer dollars.

MYTH: The projects outlined in the Measure M plan are just “bait.” Nothing stops OCTA from using these funds how ever they want if we renew Measure M.

Fact: Completely untrue. The Transportation Improvement Plan in Measure M is a contract with the voters, with some of the strongest taxpayer safeguards in the state. The plan requires a Citizens’ Oversight Committee to ensure the funds are spent as directed, with regular audits and an Annual Report to the taxpayers. The projects cannot be changed without voter approval, and the plan will be reviewed every ten years to ensure it is consistent with our needs.

MYTH: Now that the Legislature has committed to amend the state constitution to keep it from spending Proposition 42 funds on anything other than transportation, Orange County will receive a lot more money for transportation.

Fact: Not true. While funds generated as a result of closing the loophole in Proposition 42 are very important, they don’t come close to Orange County’s transportation needs. Renewing Measure M, coupled with monies distributed through Proposition 42, will ensure that the county has the necessary funding to keep up with our growing transportation needs.

MYTH: Our Congressional representatives should do a better job getting our fair share of federal funds, and then we would not need Measure M.

Fact: Our legislators do a good job, but we’ve all seen the stories of how the federal spending plans are written. We can sit back and hope that process will give us a larger share, or Orange County can take care of itself. Measure M will enable Orange County to be more self-sufficient. By Renewing Measure M, Orange County will have a reliable funding source to meet the transportation needs of our growing population.

MYTH: OCTA bureaucrats want to engage in social engineering and force us all onto trains and into buses. They still want to build Centerline, and other big transit boondoggles, and they have hidden those projects in the plan.

Fact: The voter approved Measure M plan cannot be altered without voter approval, and the funds are subject to strong taxpayer safeguards like audits and an Annual Report to the taxpayers. There is no countywide light rail system in the Measure M renewal plan. Even vocal Centerline opponents like Anaheim Mayor Curt Pringle and Orange County Taxpayers Association President Reed Royalty support the Measure M extension. The transit program in Measure M expands the Metrolink system in the existing rail right-of-way, making this system operational 24-hours a day. The local transit extensions to Metrolink allow cities to compete for funds to move people to and from their Metrolink stations and population or job centers. The controlling language in Measure M specifically prohibits a system similar to the cancelled Centerline light rail.

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