The California Transit Association and the League of California Cities are among those behind this radio ad. They want to discourage lawmakers from raiding the state sales tax on gasoline. 

 “I’m talking about our roads, bridges and mass transit, you voted not once but twice to make sure our gas taxes are used only for transportation projects…”

The tax generates well over a billion dollars a year for transportation. The group is concerned about rumors that G.O.P leaders want to use it to fill the fifteen billion dollar budget shortfall.  Voters approved Proposition 1A in 2006 to protect the money from being used for other things.  Jim Madaffer is President of the California League of Cities. He acknowledges Prop 1A allows the state to borrow the money but only in some circumstances… 

 “But they were never intended to be used for this type of borrowing, they were intended to be used for real emergencies, not a structural deficit.”

Assembly Republican Leader Mike Villines denies wanting to raid the fund.  He says that’s because there’s no way to pay it back.