Which legislators stood up for California taxpayers this session?

CapitolIn 2017, the California Legislature launched a sustained and withering assault on middle-class taxpayers. Its victories were numerous and significant: A $75 per document recording tax was approved, affecting up to 400 different transactions; a gas and car tax, which takes effect November 1, will cost California households another $600 a year; and an increase in environmental regulations, known as cap-and-trade, could increase the cost of fuel by an additional 70 cents/gallon by 2030.

In the face of such devastating policies, it is easy for taxpayers to question whether legislators will ever be held accountable. However, a useful tool to assist taxpayers is the annual legislative Report Card published by the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association. Introduced back in 2007, the point of the report card is to document how lawmakers have voted on issues important to taxpayers. Lawmakers tend to hide behind statements, often of dubious veracity, to justify their votes. The report card sets aside motives, politics and party affiliations and simply asks one question: did legislators stand up for the interests of taxpayers?  While politicians may obfuscate, the numbers don’t lie.

HJTA’s 2017 scorecard featured a list of 22 bills which, represents a broad sample size, making it easy to see who is either a friend to taxpayers or beholden to the special interests that pervade the state Capitol. Beyond the obvious tax increases listed above, other bills include those that make it easier for local governments to increase sales taxes, and allow for San Francisco Bay Area residents to increase bridge tolls. Attacks on the initiative process are another common theme highlighted in the scorecard.

Given the policy breadth of the bills listed above, it should come as no surprise that the 2017 scorecard was nothing short of abysmal. A record 79 legislators failed the scorecard while only 24 got a grade of “A.” Ten legislators received the coveted and difficult to get perfect score in 2017: Assembly Members Travis Allen, Brian Dahle, Vince Fong, Jay Obernolte and Jim Patterson. They were joined by State Sens. Joel Anderson, Patricia Bates, Jean Fuller, Mike Morrell and Jeff Stone. These legislators should be commended for their diligence on behalf of taxpayers. …

Click here to read the full article from the Orange County Register

Legislative Report Card: Who Passes; Who Fails On Taxes?

Photo courtesy Franco Folini, flickr

Photo courtesy Franco Folini, flickr

Like inattentive students who dread having their parents see their unsatisfactory grades, most members of the California Legislature would just as soon not have their constituents see the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association Legislative Report Card documenting their votes on issues important to taxpayers.

Of the 120 members of the Legislature, 73 received a grade of “F” while only 36 earned an “A” grade.

The Report Card is a non-partisan tool for citizen taxpayers to hold legislators accountable based on actual legislative votes. It was Will Rogers who said, “If you ever injected truth into politics you have no politics.” While a satirist is allowed to paint with a broad brush, there is still more than a grain of truth here. Many in the political class dishonestly attempt to present themselves as standing for the interests of average folks. They pay lip service to low and moderate income Californians, while voting to make getting to work more expensive by increasing the already tops in the nation gasoline tax. They claim to be supporters of homeownership, but support measures that would increase the tax burden on property owners.

In the legislative session that ended last month, Governor Brown signed 808 bills. These bills create thousands of pages of new laws, spanning across dozens of code sections. The HJTA Legislative Report Card pulls the curtain back and identifies for taxpayers legislation that harms their interests, bills that otherwise do not receive much public attention. A prime example is Senate Bill 705 (Hill) a bill that was completely amended in the last month of session that allows for San Mateo and Monterey counties to pursue increased sales taxes beyond those authorized in current law.

The Report Card also rewards lawmakers who supported legislation that helps taxpayers like Assembly Bill 809 (Obernolte), an HJTA sponsored proposal that places additional information regarding tax increases in the ballot for all voters to see.

Votes on sixteen bills were used to score legislators. These reflect a range of policy issues including new tax and regulatory burdens, and attacks on the initiative process that would make it more difficult for taxpayers to have their voices heard.

With over a quarter of the members of the Legislature new to Sacramento politics, the HJTA Report Card provides an early indication as to who will be faithful to the interests of taxpayers. While grades have improved slightly over last year, it is clear that this new legislative class has started off by falling well short of taxpayer expectations.

Eight lawmakers deserve credit for a perfect score. Members of the Assembly receiving 100 percent are Frank Bigelow, Brian Jones, Beth Gaines, Tom Lackey, Chad Mayes, Jay Obernolte, and Jim Patterson. Senator Mike Morrell also received a perfect score.

To view the 2015 Legislative Report Card, and find which representatives are proud of their grades and which ones hope no one notices, please go to www.hjta.org where it can be found under “Hot Topics.” And remember, a functioning democracy depends on an informed electorate.

Jon Coupal is president of the Howard Jarvis  Taxpayers Association — California’s largest grass-roots taxpayer organization dedicated to the protection of Proposition 13 and the advancement of taxpayers’ rights.

Governor and Democrats Intent on Raising Taxes

TaxesMajority Democrats have made it increasingly obvious that they are intent on raising taxes on hardworking Californians. In the clearest sign yet, the governor released a draft transportation funding plan on Thursday, which includes a $65 fee on vehicle owners, an 11-cent increase in the diesel tax, and a 6-cent increase in the gas tax. This comes on top of the estimated 10-cent increase in the gas tax that kicked in earlier this year due to cap and trade.

The governor and legislative Democrats are spending more than ever before, but you wouldn’t know it by looking at our roads. California drivers pay one of the highest gas taxes in the nation, yet our infrastructure ranks near the bottom. The state has money to improve our highways without asking taxpayers for more. As Republicans, we continue to stand with families to say enough is enough and oppose new taxes.

On Tuesday, Senate Democrats passed several measures that contained no substantive content to the state Assembly. The procedural move, a tactic frequently used during the state budget process, makes it easier to facilitate backroom deals, giving the public little time to review final products. These vehicles would likely be used to push through tax increases, such as those proposed by the Governor. New taxes require a two-thirds vote of the legislature.

Just one week before, Democrats on the Senate Transportation and Infrastructure Development Committee approved a $35 increase in the vehicle registration fee and a 12-cent hike in the gas tax. A new poll out this week shows a majority of Californians oppose higher gas taxes.

California State Senate, 23rd District.

Originally published by Fox and Hounds Daily