Legislative Update - July 2008

From the Desk of CFRW Legislative Advocate Michelle P Conner:
Status on Bills: The California Federation of Republican Women voted to oppose these tax bills below.
The Good News
AB 1956 by Calderon (D-58) would require state tax officials to begin imposing sales taxes on music, movies, and software purchases made online, such as on iTunes. DEAD
AB 2372 by Coto (D-23) would impose a new 1 percent tax on Californians earning more than one million per year, raising the state’s highest income tax rate to 11.3 percent. DEAD
AB 2388 by Feuer (D-42) would raise the car tax based on the weight of the vehicle and the amount of carbon dioxide emission it emits, to a still-unspecified level. DEAD
AB 2638 by Coto (D-23) would impose a new sales tax on the sale of cars in California that get less than fifteen miles per gallon. DEAD
AB 2744 by Huffman (D-6) would authorize San Francisco Bay Area transportation officials to impose a new gas tax, of as much as 10 cents per gallon, to pay for new government spending. DEAD
AB 2829 by Davis (D-48) would impose a new plastic bag tax, at a still-unspecified level, on the plastic bags used by grocery stores and other retailers to package. DEAD
AB 2897 by Hancock (D-14) would impose a new 10 percent tax rate for individuals earning more than $136,115 every year or $272,230 for joint filers and a new 11 percent tax rate for individuals earning more than $272,230 per year or $544,460 for joint filers. DEAD
The Bad News
AB 2522 by Arambula (D-31) would authorize San Joaquin Valley air quality officials to impose a new thirty dollar car tax on drivers, without a vote of the people. ALIVE
AB 2558 by Feuer (D-42) would authorize Los Angeles transportation officials to impose one of two different taxes, subject to a majority vote, to address climate change -- an increased gas tax as high as three percent, or an increased car tax as high as eighty dollars. ALIVE
AB 2967 by Fuentes (D-39) would impose a new .06 percent tax on the gross operating costs of every California hospital, to pay for new government health care programs. ALIVE
SB 1731 by Yee (D-8) would authorize San Francisco Bay Area transportation officials to impose a higher car tax on local drivers, without a vote of the people. ALIVE
On the National Level
Obama’s Global Poverty Act (S2433) is coming up for a Senate vote sometime after the July 4 recess. According to Lee Cary with the conservative blog AmericanThinker.com this United Nations inspired give away is estimated to cost the US $845 billion. Remember the United Nations humanitarian aid program called “Oil-for Food”?

The Fairness Doctrine is back and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has made it clear that she will resist any effort that opposes reinstatement and she is bottlenecking the Broadcaster Freedom Act in committee.

Eureka Republican Women Federated welcomes Frank J. Jager

July 17, 2008 Buffet Lunch-$14.50 Beverage Only-$6.00

About Frank J. Jager: Frank was born in Albany, Oregon and has lived in Eureka for the past 60 years. He attended St. Bernards, College of the Redwoods, and Humboldt State University. Frank currently serves as the Coroner/Public administrator for the County of Humboldt. Previously, he was a Police Officer and Detective for the City of Eureka and a Criminal Investigator and Polygraph Examiner for the Humboldt County District Attorney’s Office. Frank has been married to his wife, Sarah, for 25 years and they have four children. Frank is active in Boy Scouts and has received numerous honors and awards for his community service activities.

***
The Buffet lunch begins at 11:30 and the meeting opens at noon. If you are not contacted by our Telephone Committee, please call Margaret Stafford at 822-3255 for your reservation. Members' guests and interested community members will be welcomed. A reservations made is a reservation paid AND cancellations a necessity.

Chicago Sun-Times exposes The Obamas' hypocrisy.

Republican Women topic: tax plan

◼ Eureka Republican Women Federated, at its Jan. 17 meeting, will feature Todd Walker, who will discuss the “Fair Tax Plan” - Times-Standard

Walker is a board-certified CPA, with a background in business accounting and tax planning. He is the current controller for Arcata's Sun Valley Floral Group.

The luncheon will begin at 11:30 a.m., and Walker will speak at noon at the Red Lion Inn, 1929 Fourth St.

The cost of lunch will be $14.50, and reservations can be made in advance by calling Joy Finley at 845-2575.

Schwarzenegger aid speaks to Republican women

◼ Group endorses Flemming for supervisor - James Faulk The Times-Standard

A high-ranking member of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's re-election campaign spoke to a group of enthusiastic supporters at Thursday's meeting of Eureka Republican Women.

Mindy Tucker Fletcher, deputy campaign manager for Schwarzenegger's re-election campaign, said the campaign to re-elect the governor was moving ahead on all cylinders.

Things are going so well, she said, that she's waiting for the other shoe to drop....

The women's group also voted to temporarily lift a bylaw and endorse Nancy Flemming for 4th District supervisor. The lifted rule stated that in a race with two Republicans, the group would not choose one over the other.
”There's so many problems that we need to deal with now,” said Flemming. “And it's centered in the 4th District.”
She said failed leadership was the problem, one that she looked to rectify by getting elected.

LEGISLATION ALERT - Vee Sorenson

PROBLEM: We are watching a concentrated effort by the Democrat State legislature, the press, and the Public Employees Union to discredit Governor Schwarzenegger before the special November election.

Legislation acted on by the Democrat-controlled body seems not interested in solving the serious problems facing our state. We are running out of electricity, water and gasoline, although we have a bloated bureaucracy to handle those needs. Instead of problem solving, our highly paid regulators and elected representatives make it more difficult to build roads, houses, and refineries and solve our water problems. They concentrate on taking land off of the tax rolls and prohibiting accessibility, and spend time fighting to legalize gay marriage and micro-chip bullets.

The Governor is making a gigantic effort to begin changing our state back to a place where common sense prevails in its governance. His initiatives are reasonable approaches to get things moving forward as they address protecting paychecks against union dues being spent for political purposes without the approval of the worker, taking redistricting away from those who benefit from drawing unfair boundaries, and giving parents the assurance of parental notification when a
minor seeks an abortion.

SUGGESTED ACTION: Let's help the Governor by writing letters to the editor. Letters to our elected officials would no doubt fall on deaf ears, but letters appearing in newspapers get the attention of those who vote. You will notice that our local papers are filled with inaccurate letters criticizing our President and Governor. We need to counteract those with true facts and support what we believe in. If you are hesitant about writing, or feel you do not have enough facts to write a letter, just contact me and I will provide you with necessary information. The County Central Committee will need help to get the vote out by working precincts and making phone calls. Volunteer your time. It is necessary to get involved and make a difference.