Santa Cruz County targets lawmakers…with “greeting cards”

This is one way to get the attention of lawmakers. The County of Santa Cruz wants state legislators to support funding proposals to improve roads across California.

So the county is sending out some rather unusual “greeting cards” to grab the attention of lawmakers.

“The way to get attention is to be clever and so I think these will get attention,” said Santa Cruz County Communications Manager Jason Hoppin, who is also the brainchild behind the cards.

The cards feature some of the more dramatic impacts of this winter’s punishing storms, including a van that plunged into a giant hole in the road.

“I think they’re great,” said Joel of Santa Cruz County. “Anything we can do to get attention on the problem would be helpful.”

The County says it’s seeking emergency state and federal funding to cover the more than $70 million in damages to local roads.

“In the last three years alone, we’ve lost 20-30 percent of our State gas tax funding, and we’ve been forced to reduce the size of our roads crews,” Public Works Director John Presleigh said in a press released issued Friday. “They did amazing work to during the storms to clear and stabilize roads, but we have long-term funding issues that need to be addressed. It’s time for the Legislature to step up and help local communities.”

Lawmakers said road funding is tied to gas tax revenues, which has been declining in recent years.

“The gas tax is the same that it’s been for the past 30 years,” said Anna Caballero, CA State Assembly Member, 30 th District. “As you know our vehicles have become more efficient and so we’re paying less for that gas tax than we have. Electric vehicles don’t pay at all.”

Bills are making their way through the state legislature that would increase the gas tax and generate $2.2 billion more dollars in funding for California roads. A little more than $8 million of that would go to Santa Cruz County.

“I will support a gas tax hike, I think it’s the only way we’re going to get our roads fixed,” said Caballero. “But I also want to make sure that the money that we appropriate for transportation cannot be used for any other purpose.”

Governor Brown has set an April 6th deadline for lawmakers to figure out how to fund transportation infrastructure. Hoppin hopes the cards will do the trick.

“Hopefully it starts a conversation about the need and that they’ll take to each other.” Said Hoppin. “See their way to doing a deal.”

There is a republican opposition to the tax.