Measure R was a ballot measure in the November 2008 elections in Los Angeles County, California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

 that proposed raising county sales taxes by one half cent for thirty years in order to pay for transportation projects and improvements. The measure was approved by voters with 67.22% of the vote, just more than the 2/3 required by the state of California to raise local taxes.

The ballot measure created an ordinance titled "Traffic Relief and Rail Expansion Ordinance" . The ordinance includes an expenditure plan which defines the specific projects to be funded, timeframes for availability of funds, and expected levels of funding. The ordinance became effective on 2 January 2009.

Funding allocation

The tax is expected to raise $40 billion over thirty years. After subtracting 1.5% for administrative costs the remaining money must be spent as follows:

• 35% for transit capital projects (i.e. new rail and bus rapid transit
  Bus rapid transit
  Bus rapid transit is a term applied to a variety of public transportation systems using buses to provide faster, more efficient service than an ordinary bus line. Often this is achieved by making improvements to existing infrastructure, vehicles and scheduling...
  
   lines).
• 3% for transit capital on the Metrolink
  Metrolink (Southern California)
  Metrolink is a commuter rail system serving Los Angeles and the surrounding area of Southern California; it currently consists of six lines and 55 stations using of track....
  
   commuter rail system.
• 2% for transit capital on things like rail cars and rail yards.
• 20% for highway capital projects.
• 5% for operations on new rail lines.
• 20% for bus operation improvements.
• 15% for local return (i.e. transportation money that individual cities decide how to spend).

External links

• Metro | projects | Measure R