This would give every city in the region an equal stake in commercial development while also giving them an incentive to welcome actual people into their towns. It's not a new idea, but Steinberg has added a novel twist that might make it fly. California needs new power plants. One of the challenges of state energy policy, though, is how to build those new plants while staying within federal clean-air standards. Steinberg is arguing that his sales tax proposal would lead the region to grow in a more orderly way, with jobs closer to housing and commutes reduced.
Shorter commutes mean less traffic and less smog.
That reduction in air pollution might free up room to build more power plants without an overall increase in the amount of smog in our air. The state, in exchange for those clean-air credits, would give the region extra money, or higher priority, for transportation, housing, parks and other public works projects. Not everybody likes the idea. Sacramento's fast-growing suburbs, especially Roseville and Elk Grove, have planned their futures around a growing stream of sales tax revenue. But no city officials, elected or appointed, are ever going to agree to a policy that brings less money to their jurisdictions.