In 2008, city officials put forward Measure R, a piece of legislation that would raise sales taxes by a half‐cent for 30 years. The measure was then extended in 2012 with the name of Measure J. The publication The Huffington Post reported that the money would go toward transportation projects and improvements promoted as a way to “improve the environment by getting more Angelenos out of their cars and into the region’s growing subway, light rail, and bus services.”