Gov. Jerry Brown on Tuesday ratcheted up pressure on lawmakers who have not committed to a gas tax increase for road repairs, appearing in the Riverside district of Democratic state Sen. Richard Roth, one of the holdouts, and calling for legislators to step up and act.
With a self-imposed deadline for a vote just two days away, Brown warned that if legislation raising $52 billion over 10 years is not approved this year, the cost of repairing the same crumbling roads and bridges could grow to $100 billion in five years, creating a deeper “hole” to dig out from.
“Now is the time — and don’t blow it, guys,” Brown said in a message aimed at legislators. “I’m going off to my ranch” at retirement. “You’re going to be driving on these damn roads. Fix them now, or we may never get them fixed.”
During the rally Tuesday at Riverside’s North Park, Brown was critical of Republicans who he said are afraid of the political fallout of voting for tax increases even though the money is needed.
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