Business and civic leaders voiced support of a proposed half cent sales tax increase to fund transportation improvements. Meeting at the CEO Business Summit, representatives from civic and business organizations discussed the costs of congestion and the short- and long-term benefits of increased investment in public transit, roads, and highways. A way to fund improvements is through a proposed half cent sales tax increase that goes to voters for approval in the November election. The increase is estimated to raise $32 billion in economic activity through construction spending on local transportation projects, which would generate more than 210,000 annual equivalent jobs. “To modernize our transportation system and reduce gridlock, it is in the interest of Los Angeles’s business community to support the concept of the half cent sales tax,” said David Fleming, chairman of pro-business group BizFed and a speaker at the summit.