California Groundbreakers

California's new gas tax went into effect November 1. That means most drivers will pay 12 cents more per gallon of gas, diesel increases 20 cents a gallon. Starting January 1, you'll be charged a new annual vehicle fee ranging from $25 to $175, depending on the value of your car. The gas tax increase ushers in a 10-year program to raise more than $52 billion for transportation projects, like repairing roads and improving traffic congestion across the state. Will that money be spent wisely? Governor Jerry Brown fought hard to get the gas tax (officially known as Senate Bill 1) passed last April, saying "real money" is needed to fix California's aging transportation systems. But Republican lawmakers are skeptical that the gas tax is the best way to handle road repairs, saying taxpayers already pay plenty for them, money is available from the state's general fund, and Brown should scrap his multibillion-dollar bullet train project. Now they're actively working to put a repeal-the-gas-tax measure on the Nove