Do Californians want to pay more at the pump to fix roads, highways and bridges?

That’s the big question California Gov. Jerry Brown and other legislative leaders will put to the test with a plan unveiled Wednesday that proposes to generate $52 billion in revenue over 10 years for transportation projects by raising vehicle fees and gas taxes.

Opponents quickly pointed out that the gas tax increase would be the largest in state history, but Brown said it’s a necessary step to address deferred maintenance on the state’s transportation infrastructure, both state highways and local streets and roads.

“This is a milestone,” Brown said on Wednesday. “For a long time the state has not been doing what it has to do.”

What’s the big picture?

Under the proposed plan, the state will seek to add revenue by an average of $5.2 billion annually in the first 10 years, or $52 billion over 10 years. To do this, Brown proposes to raise gas taxes (including diesel taxes) and increase vehicle registration fees.

Brown will be testing the political appetite to do this. The state has not increased the excise tax on gasoline in 23 years, the state’s transportation secretary Brian Kelly told the Los Angeles Times.

How much will Californians have to pay?

The plan proposes to raise gas excise taxes by 12 cents per gallon and increase the fee Californians pay to register their vehicles every year by an average of $48, the Los Angeles Times reported. Sales tax on diesel would also increase, from 5.75 percent to 9.75 percent, and the diesel excise tax would go up from 16 cents to 36 cents per gallon.

Also under the proposal, annual vehicle registration fees would increase, ranging from $25 on the low end for vehicles valued under $5,000 and on the high end at $175 for vehicles valued at $60,000 or higher.

People who drive zero-emission vehicles would, for the first time, pay a $100 annual vehicle fee, the Associated Press reported. Sorry Tesla drivers, there’s no way around it.

Where will the money go?

The revenue would go to fixing a $130-billion backlog of aging roads, highways and bridges in the state, Kelly told the Los Angeles Times.

It didn’t take long for there to be rumblings on Twitter from people debating those three big questions.

Taxpayer advocates like David Wolfe of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association called it a matter of “spending priorities.” Others who don’t want the state to raise anymore taxes can relate.

https://twitter.com/HJTA/status/847219503159099393

https://twitter.com/KATYSaccitizen/status/847232517425971200

https://twitter.com/BrunusCutis/status/847219861335883776

Yet others are cheering the plan and saying that the money to fix roads is badly needed. As California’s transportation commissioner, San Diego’s Jim Madaffer tweeted in favor of the plan, saying that each California driver spends about $700 a year on vehicle repairs due to rough roads in the state.

https://twitter.com/JimMadaffer/status/847205451556990978

https://twitter.com/Lenny_Mendonca/status/847213508072620037

https://twitter.com/adadasovich/status/847203151182610432

And then there were those who showed more restraint and took a middle-of-the-road view to Brown’s plan.

https://twitter.com/ryanaber/status/847204799783227393

https://twitter.com/1000Steps/status/847223406172921856

https://twitter.com/TheHadrianShow/status/847211822889533440

Should California raise its gas tax to help repair the state’s roads, highways and bridges? Chime in with your thoughts via email or on Twitter.

Have some thoughts to share?

Join me in a conversation: Shoot me a private email with your thoughts or ideas on a different approach to this story. As always, you can also send us a tweet.

Email: luis.gomez@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @RunGomez