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Today's stories are presented by HaydenAI) Advertisement opens in a new tab. (/category/tax-policy) Tax Policy Another Conspiracy Theory, This One Around a Vehicle Miles Tax, Comes to California \"None of this required secret meetings or hidden language in the bill. It only required repetition \u2014 and the willingness to treat worst-case hypotheticals as settled fact.\" (/author/damien) (A man wears a derby hat and glasses) By (/author/damien) Damien Newton 11:24 AM PST on February 10, 2026 (https://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle/?summary=None%20of%20this%20required%20secret%20meetings%20or%20hidden%20language%20in%20the%20bill.%20It%20only%20required%20repetition%20%E2%80%94%20and%20the%20willingness%20to%20treat%20worst-case%20hypotheticals%20as%20settled%20fact.%0A&title=Another%20Conspiracy%20Theory%2C%20This%20One%20Around%20a%20Vehicle%20Miles%20Tax%2C%20Comes%20to%20California&url=https%3A%2F%2Fcal.streetsblog.org%2F2026%2F02%2F10%2Fanother-conspiracy-theory-this-one-around-a-vehicle-miles-tax-comes-to-california) Share on LinkedIn (https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Another%20Conspiracy%20Theory%2C%20This%20One%20Around%20a%20Vehicle%20Miles%20Tax%2C%20Comes%20to%20California%20-%20https%3A%2F%2Fcal.streetsblog.org%2F2026%2F02%2F10%2Fanother-conspiracy-theory-this-one-around-a-vehicle-miles-tax-comes-to-california) Share on Bluesky (https://x.com/intent/tweet?text=Another%20Conspiracy%20Theory%2C%20This%20One%20Around%20a%20Vehicle%20Miles%20Tax%2C%20Comes%20to%20California&url=https%3A%2F%2Fcal.streetsblog.org%2F2026%2F02%2F10%2Fanother-conspiracy-theory-this-one-around-a-vehicle-miles-tax-comes-to-california) Share on X (formerly Twitter) (https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fcal.streetsblog.org%2F2026%2F02%2F10%2Fanother-conspiracy-theory-this-one-around-a-vehicle-miles-tax-comes-to-california) Share on Facebook (http://www.reddit.com/submit/?title=Another%20Conspiracy%20Theory%2C%20This%20One%20Around%20a%20Vehicle%20Miles%20Tax%2C%20Comes%20to%20California&url=https%3A%2F%2Fcal.streetsblog.org%2F2026%2F02%2F10%2Fanother-conspiracy-theory-this-one-around-a-vehicle-miles-tax-comes-to-california) Share on Reddit (mailto:?body=https%3A%2F%2Fcal.streetsblog.org%2F2026%2F02%2F10%2Fanother-conspiracy-theory-this-one-around-a-vehicle-miles-tax-comes-to-california&subject=Another%20Conspiracy%20Theory%2C%20This%20One%20Around%20a%20Vehicle%20Miles%20Tax%2C%20Comes%20to%20California) Share on Email () In early 2026, California\u2019s plan to explore replacing its long-standing gas tax with a vehicle miles traveled (VMT) fee ignited a firestorm of public debate and online outrage. Headlines and social media feeds on the conservative right lit up with claims that the state was on the verge of imposing a new \u201cmileage tax\u201d that would charge drivers per mile driven \u2014 sparking fears of higher costs for commuters and grumbling about government overreach. Yet beneath the buzz and the partisan rhetoric lies a more precise reality: the legislation that prompted this uproar \u2014 (https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/bills/ca_202520260ab1421) Assembly Bill 1421 \u2014 does not immediately create or implement a new tax. Instead, the bill, which the California Assembly passed on January 29, 2026, directs the California Transportation Commission to continue and deepen a study into whether a road usage charge could eventually serve as an alternative to the state\u2019s traditional gas tax. The bill's author, Assemblymember Lori Wilson (D-Suisun City) has repeatedly tried to put down concerns about the legislation. She (https://sacobserver.com/2026/02/the-truth-about-californias-mileage-tax-clashing-viewpoints-continue-to-heat-up-a-partisan-policy-fight/) told the Sacramento Observer last week that, \"\u201cWe\u2019ve been studying alternatives to the gas tax since 2014. What this bill does is bring together all the work that\u2019s already been done \u2014 by universities, state agencies, and pilot programs \u2014 and ask for a complete report back to the Legislature.\u201d () As of 2021, only three states in the country have enough dedicated funding to cover their annual transportation costs. California's Transportation Funding Is in Crisis California faces a roughly\u00a0$215 billion, 10-year transportation funding gap\u00a0($756.8 billion in needs vs. $541 billion in projected revenue). The 2025-26 budget reduces transportation spending by 13% ($4.5 billion) due to declining one-time funds, while the Motor Vehicle Account (MVA) faces insolvency by 2025-26 without transfers. California\u2019s transportation funding system has long relied on the state gas tax \u2014 a per-gallon fee drivers pay at the pump that is earmarked primarily to maintain roads, bridges and transit systems. But that model, which worked well for decades, is now under strain. As more Californians switch to hybrid and electric vehicles, gas consumption has dropped significantly. Gas tax revenue is shrinking even as the cost of infrastructure repair and expansion continues to rise. Experts warn this funding shortfall could grow by tens of billions of dollars over the next decade if policymakers don\u2019t identify new revenue sources. First hybrid cars and now electric vehicles present a particular challenge: they use the same roads as gas-powered cars but contribute little (or nothing) to the gas tax that pays for road maintenance. In some cases EV owners pay higher registration fees, but those offsets don\u2019t fully make up for the loss of gas tax revenue. Under the current system where most funds come from the gas tax, drivers of petroleum-powered vehicles can pay between $300 and $600 a year in gas taxes, while many electric vehicle owners pay as little as $117 annually through registration fees. And while the state wants to encourage the transition to electric vehicles, that is a massive gap, and a major reason that the gas tax needs to be replaced. Transportation planners and (https://www.cbs8.com/article/news/local/san-diego-economist-breaks-down-california-mileage-tax/509-efdcb296-06ce-43ae-911c-872fa65afc25) economists have argued for years that a vehicle miles traveled (VMT) charge (also sometimes termed a \"road charge\" or \"mileage based user fee\" MBUF) \u2014 a fee based on how many miles a vehicle is driven \u2014 could be a more equitable way to fund transportation infrastructure and ensure all drivers pay in proportion to their road use. The state created the Transit Transformation Task Force to rethink how public transit is funded, governed, and coordinated. The (https://cal.streetsblog.org/2025/10/17/state-transit-transformation-task-force-concludes-its-work-with-unsatisfying-conclusion) TTF wrapped up its two-year effort with a final meeting that many members found disappointing and limited in impact. While the panel did adopt last-minute motions urging the Legislature to identify new statewide funding sources for transit and to allow local ballot measures for transit revenue without prior legislative approval, it failed to advance stronger proposals and reforms because no staff-prepared recommendations were ready and procedural rules prevented votes before time ran out. Task Force members and advocates described the final recommendations more as a starting point for future work than a finished reform package. The report required by AB 1421 would be the next step. () The graphic is full of misinformation. But the (https://www.facebook.com/asmhadwick.ca/posts/last-year-i-clocked-52800-miles-serving-this-district-under-the-proposed-ab-1421/122156984906700221/) social media post by Assemblymember Heather Hadwick (R-Redding) that accompanies it is somehow actually worse. Instead of Discussion, Misinformation Perhaps it's a coincidence, but at a time when the national Republican party has become a lodestone to the CA Republican party due to the ongoing federal invasion of cities, state Republican leaders decided to demagogue the issue of a VMT tax. In the days after the Assembly passed AB 1421, snippets of the bill \u2014 stripped of context \u2014 began circulating online. \u201cMileage tax.\u201d \u201cPer-mile fees.\u201d \u201cTracking drivers.\u201d For many readers, that was all they saw before the conclusion snapped into place: Sacramento was coming for their odometers. By the time economists and transportation officials tried to explain that California had been studying road usage charges for years \u2014 across multiple administrations and with bipartisan participation \u2014 the explanation rang hollow to critics. To them, \u201cit\u2019s just a study\u201d sounded less like clarification and more like a stall tactic. In the logic of conspiracy thinking, denials don\u2019t defuse suspicion; they deepen it. The Carmichael Times blared, \"(http://Assembly Democrats Refuse to Stop a Double Tax on Drivers) Assembly Democrats Refuse to Stop a Double Tax on Drivers ,\" a word-for-word reprint of a Republican press release. However, the VMT tax would replace - not stack with - a gas tax, so the headline was completely wrong. But they're hardly alone in printing this misinformation, it is repeated in \"(https://californiaglobe.com/fr/help-stop-the-proposed-ca-tax-on-driving/) Help Stop the Proposed CA Tax on Driving ,\" a unique news article by alleged newspaper the California Globe. Hypothetical scenarios hardened into certainty, and projected numbers were repeated until they felt official. None of this required secret meetings or hidden language in the bill. It only required repetition \u2014 and the willingness to treat hypotheticals as settled fact. But to dispel a misinformation campaign it will take more than (https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article314561044.html) mainstream press correcting the record or (https://www.instagram.com/reels/DUG1AFxEiEP/) \"community notes\" on misleading social media . Yesterday, the Orange County Record published an op/ed by Sal Rodriguez, (https://www.dailynews.com/2026/02/07/los-angeles-mayoral-race-goes-from-compelling-to-disastrous/) who spent his weekend fretting that there weren't enough rich white men running for Mayor of L.A. , chiding Republicans for their fear mongering. In \"(https://www.ocregister.com/2026/02/08/california-republicans-tilt-at-windmills-over-nonexistent-mileage-tax/) California Republicans tilt at windmills over nonexistent mileage tax ,\" Rodriguez wrote, \"There are plenty of legitimate criticisms to be made of the supermajority and state government. Instead, California Republicans have chosen to hyperventilate over an invented issue rather than acting as serious critics. It\u2019s no wonder they\u2019re in the superminority.\" Maybe the message will resonate more coming from someone known to be right-of-center in California. 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(/author/damien) (A man wears a derby hat and glasses) (/author/damien) Damien Newton February 19, 2026 (/2026/02/19/calbike-enforce-existing-laws-dont-create-new-nuisance-ones) () (/category/headlines) Headlines (/2026/02/19/thursdays-headlines-127) Thursday\u2019s Headlines Fresno County has a clear choice in November. (/author/damien) (A man wears a derby hat and glasses) (/author/damien) Damien Newton February 19, 2026 (/2026/02/19/thursdays-headlines-127) () (https://usa.streetsblog.org/tag/promoted) Streetsblog USA (/category/cities-counties-states-and-countries) Cities, Counties, States and Countries (https://usa.streetsblog.org/2026/02/19/when-the-suburbs-want-to-opt-out-of-funding-regional-transit) When The Suburbs Want To Opt Out of Funding Regional Transit A messy transit funding fight in Dallas may have reached a pause \u2014 but some advocates fear the d\u00e9tente won't hold. 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Accept all Reject all Save settings " ], "output": "htmltotext.txt", "pwd": "/data/archive/1771714297.844093", "schema": "ArchiveResult", "start_ts": "2026-02-21T22:52:36.952914+00:00", "status": "succeeded" } ], "media": [ { "cmd": [ "/usr/local/bin/yt-dlp", "--restrict-filenames", "--trim-filenames", "128", "--write-description", "--write-info-json", "--write-annotations", "--write-thumbnail", "--no-call-home", "--write-sub", "--write-auto-subs", "--convert-subs=srt", "--yes-playlist", "--continue", "--no-abort-on-error", "--ignore-errors", "--geo-bypass", "--add-metadata", "--format=(bv*+ba/b)[filesize<=750m][filesize_approx<=?750m]/(bv*+ba/b)", "--skip-download", "--cache-dir=/data/yt-dlp-cache/", "--cookies=/data/yt-dlp-cache/cookies.txt", "--proxy=socks5://tor-socks-proxy:9150", "--no-playlist", "https://cal.streetsblog.org/2026/02/10/another-conspiracy-theory-this-one-around-a-vehicle-miles-tax-comes-to-california" ], "cmd_version": "2024.10.7", "end_ts": "2026-02-21T22:52:52.951188+00:00", "index_texts": [], "output": "media/", "pwd": "/data/archive/1771714297.844093", "schema": "ArchiveResult", "start_ts": "2026-02-21T22:52:42.182842+00:00", "status": "succeeded" } ], "mercury": [ { "cmd": [ "/home/archivebox/.npm/bin/postlight-parser", "https://cal.streetsblog.org/2026/02/10/another-conspiracy-theory-this-one-around-a-vehicle-miles-tax-comes-to-california" ], "cmd_version": "2.2.3", "end_ts": "2026-02-21T22:52:36.753110+00:00", "index_texts": null, "output": "mercury/", "pwd": "/data/archive/1771714297.844093", "schema": "ArchiveResult", "start_ts": "2026-02-21T22:52:27.551768+00:00", "status": "succeeded" } ], "pdf": [], "readability": [ { "cmd": [ "/home/archivebox/.npm/bin/readability-extractor", "/tmp/tmperp1tsir", "https://cal.streetsblog.org/2026/02/10/another-conspiracy-theory-this-one-around-a-vehicle-miles-tax-comes-to-california" ], "cmd_version": "0.0.11", "end_ts": "2026-02-21T22:52:16.596829+00:00", "index_texts": [ "In early 2026, California\u2019s plan to explore replacing its long-standing gas tax with a vehicle miles traveled (VMT) fee ignited a firestorm of public debate and online outrage. Headlines and social media feeds on the conservative right lit up with claims that the state was on the verge of imposing a new \u201cmileage tax\u201d that would charge drivers per mile driven \u2014 sparking fears of higher costs for commuters and grumbling about government overreach.Yet beneath the buzz and the partisan rhetoric lies a more precise reality: the legislation that prompted this uproar \u2014 Assembly Bill 1421 \u2014 does not immediately create or implement a new tax. Instead, the bill, which the California Assembly passed on January 29, 2026, directs the California Transportation Commission to continue and deepen a study into whether a road usage charge could eventually serve as an alternative to the state\u2019s traditional gas tax.The bill's author, Assemblymember Lori Wilson (D-Suisun City) has repeatedly tried to put down concerns about the legislation. She told the Sacramento Observer last week that, \"\u201cWe\u2019ve been studying alternatives to the gas tax since 2014. What this bill does is bring together all the work that\u2019s already been done \u2014 by universities, state agencies, and pilot programs \u2014 and ask for a complete report back to the Legislature.\u201dAs of 2021, only three states in the country have enough dedicated funding to cover their annual transportation costs.California's Transportation Funding Is in CrisisCalifornia faces a roughly\u00a0$215 billion, 10-year transportation funding gap\u00a0($756.8 billion in needs vs. $541 billion in projected revenue). The 2025-26 budget reduces transportation spending by 13% ($4.5 billion) due to declining one-time funds, while the Motor Vehicle Account (MVA) faces insolvency by 2025-26 without transfers.California\u2019s transportation funding system has long relied on the state gas tax \u2014 a per-gallon fee drivers pay at the pump that is earmarked primarily to maintain roads, bridges and transit systems. But that model, which worked well for decades, is now under strain. As more Californians switch to hybrid and electric vehicles, gas consumption has dropped significantly. Gas tax revenue is shrinking even as the cost of infrastructure repair and expansion continues to rise. Experts warn this funding shortfall could grow by tens of billions of dollars over the next decade if policymakers don\u2019t identify new revenue sources.First hybrid cars and now electric vehicles present a particular challenge: they use the same roads as gas-powered cars but contribute little (or nothing) to the gas tax that pays for road maintenance. In some cases EV owners pay higher registration fees, but those offsets don\u2019t fully make up for the loss of gas tax revenue.Under the current system where most funds come from the gas tax, drivers of petroleum-powered vehicles can pay between $300 and $600 a year in gas taxes, while many electric vehicle owners pay as little as $117 annually through registration fees. And while the state wants to encourage the transition to electric vehicles, that is a massive gap, and a major reason that the gas tax needs to be replaced.Transportation planners and economists have argued for years that a vehicle miles traveled (VMT) charge (also sometimes termed a \"road charge\" or \"mileage based user fee\" MBUF) \u2014 a fee based on how many miles a vehicle is driven \u2014 could be a more equitable way to fund transportation infrastructure and ensure all drivers pay in proportion to their road use.The state created the Transit Transformation Task Force to rethink how public transit is funded, governed, and coordinated. The TTF wrapped up its two-year effort with a final meeting that many members found disappointing and limited in impact. While the panel did adopt last-minute motions urging the Legislature to identify new statewide funding sources for transit and to allow local ballot measures for transit revenue without prior legislative approval, it failed to advance stronger proposals and reforms because no staff-prepared recommendations were ready and procedural rules prevented votes before time ran out. Task Force members and advocates described the final recommendations more as a starting point for future work than a finished reform package. The report required by AB 1421 would be the next step.The graphic is full of misinformation. But the social media post by Assemblymember Heather Hadwick (R-Redding) that accompanies it is somehow actually worse.Instead of Discussion, MisinformationPerhaps it's a coincidence, but at a time when the national Republican party has become a lodestone to the CA Republican party due to the ongoing federal invasion of cities, state Republican leaders decided to demagogue the issue of a VMT tax.In the days after the Assembly passed AB 1421, snippets of the bill \u2014 stripped of context \u2014 began circulating online. \u201cMileage tax.\u201d \u201cPer-mile fees.\u201d \u201cTracking drivers.\u201d For many readers, that was all they saw before the conclusion snapped into place: Sacramento was coming for their odometers.By the time economists and transportation officials tried to explain that California had been studying road usage charges for years \u2014 across multiple administrations and with bipartisan participation \u2014 the explanation rang hollow to critics. To them, \u201cit\u2019s just a study\u201d sounded less like clarification and more like a stall tactic. In the logic of conspiracy thinking, denials don\u2019t defuse suspicion; they deepen it.The Carmichael Times blared, \"Assembly Democrats Refuse to Stop a Double Tax on Drivers,\" a word-for-word reprint of a Republican press release. However, the VMT tax would replace - not stack with - a gas tax, so the headline was completely wrong. But they're hardly alone in printing this misinformation, it is repeated in \"Help Stop the Proposed CA Tax on Driving,\" a unique news article by alleged newspaper the California Globe.Hypothetical scenarios hardened into certainty, and projected numbers were repeated until they felt official. None of this required secret meetings or hidden language in the bill. It only required repetition \u2014 and the willingness to treat hypotheticals as settled fact.But to dispel a misinformation campaign it will take more than mainstream press correcting the record or \"community notes\" on misleading social media. Yesterday, the Orange County Record published an op/ed by Sal Rodriguez, who spent his weekend fretting that there weren't enough rich white men running for Mayor of L.A., chiding Republicans for their fear mongering.In \"California Republicans tilt at windmills over nonexistent mileage tax,\" Rodriguez wrote, \"There are plenty of legitimate criticisms to be made of the supermajority and state government. Instead, California Republicans have chosen to hyperventilate over an invented issue rather than acting as serious critics. It\u2019s no wonder they\u2019re in the superminority.\"Maybe the message will resonate more coming from someone known to be right-of-center in California.Stay in touchSign up for our free newsletterMore from Streetsblog CaliforniaFriday\u2019s HeadlinesIt's mostly a good news headlines stack. That's nice.Advocates Breathe Sigh of Relief: Transit Disaster Averted for NowGovernor Newsom signs Bay Area public transit loan to prevent severe service cuts.The Week in Short Video: Conspiracy Theory EditionEPA abandons even pretending to care about greenhouse gases, Brightline progress on L.A. -> Las VegasCalBike: Enforce Existing Laws, Don\u2019t Create New Nuisance OnesSign the petition for better enforcement. Take the survey on e-bike experiences.Thursday\u2019s HeadlinesFresno County has a clear choice in November.When The Suburbs Want To Opt Out of Funding Regional TransitA messy transit funding fight in Dallas may have reached a pause \u2014 but some advocates fear the d\u00e9tente won't hold.See all posts" ], "output": "readability/", "pwd": "/data/archive/1771714297.844093", "schema": "ArchiveResult", "start_ts": "2026-02-21T22:52:11.784877+00:00", "status": "succeeded" } ], "screenshot": [], "singlefile": [], "title": [ { "cmd": [ "/usr/bin/curl", "--silent", "--location", "--compressed", "--proxy", "socks5://tor-socks-proxy:9150", "--max-time", "60", "--user-agent", "Mozilla/5.0 (Macintosh; Intel Mac OS X 10_15_7) AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko) Chrome/128.0.0.0 Safari/537.36 ArchiveBox/{VERSION} (+https://github.com/ArchiveBox/ArchiveBox/)", "https://cal.streetsblog.org/2026/02/10/another-conspiracy-theory-this-one-around-a-vehicle-miles-tax-comes-to-california" ], "cmd_version": "8.10.1", "end_ts": "2026-02-21T22:52:11.112681+00:00", "index_texts": null, "output": "Another Conspiracy Theory, This One Around a Vehicle Miles Tax, Comes to California - Streetsblog California", "pwd": "/data/archive/1771714297.844093", "schema": "ArchiveResult", "start_ts": "2026-02-21T22:52:11.031786+00:00", "status": "succeeded" } ], "wget": [] }, "icons": null, "is_archived": true, "is_static": false, "latest": { "archive_org": "TimeoutExpired: Command '['/usr/bin/curl', '--silent', '--location', '--compressed', '--proxy', 'socks5://tor-socks-proxy:9150', '--head', '--max-time', '60', '--user-agent', 'Mozilla/5.0 (Macintosh; Intel Mac OS X 10_15_7) AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko) Chrome/128.0.0.0 Safari/537.36 ArchiveBox/{VERSION} (+https://github.com/ArchiveBox/ArchiveBox/)', 'https://web.archive.org/save/https://cal.streetsblog.org/2026/02/10/another-conspiracy-theory-this-one-around-a-vehicle-miles-tax-comes-to-california']' timed out after 60 seconds", "dom": "output.html", "favicon": "favicon.ico", "git": null, "media": "media/", "pdf": null, "screenshot": null, "singlefile": null, "title": "Another Conspiracy Theory, This One Around a Vehicle Miles Tax, Comes to California - Streetsblog California", "warc": null, "wget": null }, "link_dir": "/data/archive/1771714297.844093", "newest_archive_date": "2026-02-21T22:52:52.995012+00:00", "num_failures": 1, "num_outputs": 8, "oldest_archive_date": "2026-02-21T22:51:42.303185+00:00", "path": "/2026/02/10/another-conspiracy-theory-this-one-around-a-vehicle-miles-tax-comes-to-california", "schema": "Link", "scheme": "https", "snapshot_abid": "snp_01KJ16DG29499B4C5301TVMQRY", "snapshot_id": "29d6ba51-ed4c-4a4b-9265-1e55f5ba5f1e", "sources": [ "/data/sources/1771714293-import.txt" ], "tags": null, "tags_str": "", "timestamp": "1771714297.844093", "title": "Another Conspiracy Theory, This One Around a Vehicle Miles Tax, Comes to California - Streetsblog California", "url": "https://cal.streetsblog.org/2026/02/10/another-conspiracy-theory-this-one-around-a-vehicle-miles-tax-comes-to-california" }