California’s Proposition 6 result a win for aggregate producers

Roberts

The construction materials industry in California received a major victory with the defeat of Proposition 6, a state bill that would have repealed a 2017 transportation law’s taxes and fees designated for road repairs and public transportation.

California voters rejected Proposition 6 by about a 10-point margin, signaling the state’s voters see a true need for transportation infrastructure investments.

“By rejecting Proposition 6, California voters delivered a loud and clear message that transportation infrastructure is a priority,” says James Roberts, president and CEO of Granite Construction. “Voters have expressed their will, and SB-1 funding will be used to fund bridge and road safety, transportation and public transit improvement projects across the state.”

By voting down Proposition 6, fuel and vehicle taxes recently passed by the California legislature will continue to be in effect and pay for highway and road maintenance and repairs, as well as transit programs. Also, the state legislature will not need voter approval for new or increased state fuel and vehicle taxes in the future.

“California’s roads and freeways were once the envy of the nation,” Roberts says. “Chronic underinvestment in infrastructure in the state has changed that. At the local, state and national levels, there is agreement that current infrastructure funding must increase.”