FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Los Angeles – On the day many Californians race to file their taxes to meet the April 15th deadline, the Alliance for a Better California released information on what $70 million in taxpayer money could pay for, if it isn’t used for Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s proposed Special Election for his special interest friends.
"The public is tired of broken promises to our kids, and tired of wasting money on special elections for proposals that will do nothing to improve our schools. Our schools are starved for funds. With the money the Governor is wasting on a special election our schools could reduce class size, purchase up-to-date textbooks, hire more teachers and pay for professional development programs teachers need to help our kids," said Eric Heins, a 3rd grade teacher from Pittsburgh, CA.
Despite repeated campaign promises that he wouldn’t take any special interest money, Governor Schwarzenegger has outpaced every Governor in the history of our state, raising funds for a special election that doesn’t address the real concerns of Californians.
In fact, the same special interest groups he’s raising unprecedented amounts of money from: pharmaceutical companies, auto dealers, polluters, and energy and insurance companies to name a few; are the only ones who stand to benefit from the Governor’s wasteful special election.
Here’s what $70 million could pay for instead of a wasteful special election:
· $70 million pays for more than 9,000 UC students and more than 11,000 Cal-State students.
· $70 million pays for more than 3,800 caregivers so over 4,600 seniors and persons with disabilities can receive quality homecare.
· $70 million also keeps more than 2,000 criminals locked up and off our streets.
· $70 million pays for more than 1,400 new registered nurses to help patients receive better healthcare.
· $70 million pays for more than 1,500 new firefighters to protect our communities and keep our natural resources safe.
· $70 million pays for the salaries of almost 2,000 teachers.
· $70 million pays for 3,700,000 up-to-date textbooks for our students.
· $70 million implements class size reduction in 5,700 classrooms.
· $70 million pays for more than 1,500 new police officers to keep our communities safe.
· $70 million would buy more than a 1,000 shiny new yellow school buses.
· $70 million pays for a year of health insurance for approximately 56,630 uninsured Californians between the ages of 19-29.
· $70 million pays for a year of health insurance for approximately 29,900 uninsured Californians between the ages of 30-49 (the largest group of uninsured in the state).
· $70 million pays for the average retail cost of a year’s worth of prescription drugs for about 85,840 California men aged 65 or older.
· $70 million pays for the average retail cost of a year’s worth of prescription drugs for about 68,829 California women aged 65 or older.
· 70 million would also pay for ALL of the following underfunded transportation projects:
1. Widen Route 138 at Twin Bridges in Los Angeles County – $11,298,000.
2. Widen the southbound I-5 off-ramp to Culver City Drive in Orange County – $1,759,000.
3. Build truck climbing lanes on Route 152 in Santa Clara County – $1,400,000 .
4. Make improvements to Perris Boulevard in Riverside County – $3,184,000.
5. Widen Greenback Lane at the intersections of Auburn Boulevard and Dewey Drive in Sacramento County – $5,000,000.
6. Widen Route 10 at Orange Street and Ford Street in San Bernardino County – 12,473,000.
7. Rehabilitate streets in 8 locations in Lompoc, Santa Barbara County – $1,260,000.
8. Pave and rehabilitate 8 overpasses of Route 99 in Tulare County – $864,000.
9. Make major progress on Hollywood Way Interchange of Route 134 in Burbank, Los Angeles County – $15,161,000.
10. Work on four-lane expressway on Route 41 from Kings County Line to Elkhorn Avenue in Fresno County – 1,500,000.
11. Make improvements to Route 152/156 interchange in Santa Clara County – $3,551,000.
12. Build westbound High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes on Interstate 80 from Route 29 to the Carquinez Bridge in Solano County – $1,500,000.
13. Build a pedestrian overcrossing for the Orange Metrolink Station in Orange County – $3,000,000.
14. Widen Hammer Lane from Kelly to Thornton in Stockton, San Joaquin County – $2,000,000.
15. Improve Halcyon Road/Highway 1, San Luis Obispo County – 2,000,000.
16. Make operational improvements to Highway 101 in Petaluma, Sonoma County – $4,000,000.