Good riddance to regressive tax to bail out Bay Area public transit: Letter to the editor

Re: “Bay Area’s public transportation bailout bill skids off course, lacking a consensus” (Page A1, June 8).

I am glad that SB 1031, the “Connect Bay Area Act,” was pulled. We don’t need any more regressive taxes.

Over the last several elections, voters in Santa Clara County have passed multiple tax and fee increases. California’s taxes are already obscenely high. And sales taxes have the greatest impact on low-income residents because they make it more expensive for these taxpayers to purchase everyday necessities. Each increase by itself does not amount to much, but the cumulative effect is to add to the unaffordability of the region.

Before increasing taxes again, waste needs to be removed from transportation projects. For example, we need to eliminate the redundant BART extension between the San Jose and Santa Clara Caltrain stations. The BART segment from these stations would duplicate both the existing Caltrain line and VTA’s 22 and 522 buses.

Bill Hough
Los Altos