Oct 272024
 

Some of you that read this blog have probably seen this. Why is your intrepid blogger supporting a TAX INCREASE!?

Ask Joe Patterson, James Gallagher, Brian Dahle, Megan Dahle, Josh Hoover, Roger Niello, heck, ask Mike Morrell (he is a former State Senator) – they will all tell you the same thing. In order to get money to fix local roads you have to have a local funding mechanism. (See also transportation tax)

In his rage-filled tirade a local Republican activist outright lied when he said there is enough money to pay for this. No, there is not and he knows it. Ask Tracy Mendonsa, Bonnie Gore, Shanti Landon, Ken Broadway or any of the host of City Council/Town Councilmembers – they will tell you that 85-88% of their money is spent before they even get to make decisions. You can’t pay for Police, Fire and Road Construction with only 12-15% of your budget available after mandates.

It is easy to lie about the circumstances local governments face when trying to build infrastructure.

The big lie against Measure B is that it is easy to live in the “It’s a Tax” intelectually lazy soundbyte world. I tried to engage some people in a discussion of the reality of the situation that has predicated the need for Measure B. Local Government’s money was stolen TWICE by Sacramento. The first time is tying gas taxes to matching local taxes because the supermajority party did this knowing that knee-jerk no tax at anytime for any reason counties would never vote to match the state gas tax funds. Then this allows the second theft to be completed when Sacramento Liberals to send our transportation gas tax funds elsewhere.

It’s not fair – but remember Republicans like Abel Maldonado provided tie-breaking votes to give the 2/3 to create this system and now the dems have the 2/3 they need to expand this system. Until we gain 24 seats in the Assembly with real Republicans and 12 seats in the State Senate with real Republicans this system won’t change. How long do you want traffic jams in Roseville and Rocklin?

But it’s a tax, and we have to vote no is the refrain.

Placer County was eligible for $800 MILLION IN MATCHING MONEY IN 2023. But Placer did not get it because they did not have a matching revenue stream. Are Placer voters proud to know that their gas tax money is going to build $350 Million in eco-housing in LA County? Continue to fund that stuff by voting no on B – because you know, it’s a tax!

$119 Million was sent from Placer County’s gas tax to fix the port of Oakland while you sit in CA-65 for an extra 30 minutes a day stuck in traffic!

But – It’s a tax!

Let’s look a measure B another way. If you knew you could spend $1 on building something and get another $5-$9 in matching state and/or federal money would you do it? How many of you bought taxpayer-subsidized solar for your house? It is basically the same concept – but somehow that feels different than a 7.75% sales tax rate.

What self-respecting fiscal conservative would not want to take a dollar and make it $5 at least? Sometimes, that dollar could even be $9 or more depending on how many grants the county could hit at a given time!

But – It’s a tax!

In my lifetime as a Republican activist and paid consultant, I have supported exactly three tax measures. Measure D built Westpark High School. Measure E built a ton of stuff for Sierra College and was the product of a significant compromise with political leaders. It was slimmed down considerably and now there is this measure. In each case the above facts were true (85+% of money being spent, other sources of money coming open, etc.)

People rag on the Placer County Republican Party and the Republican Party in general as being the party of no. It is because in circumstances like this where there is a clear nexus for Conservatives to bite the bullet, instead of listening to reasonable arguments, soundbytes and tirades carry the day. Placer County deserves better.

Get the facts. Vote yes on B.

P.S. for those of you that wonder – where I live the sales tax is 8.265% and we have freeway and local road construction everywhere. It is glorious. US395 near where I live is being widened from 2 lanes to 4 lanes + aux lane uphill and 3 lanes + aux lanes downhill and redone interchanges. This would have never happened had Washoe County not been able to get matching federal money… all the projects you see on I-80 in the Washoe County Area are the same nexus. Think it through and ask yourself what kind of world you want in your own area!

Nov 092014
 

As of 11/9  – the Placer County Elections Office has Measure B passing with 62.35% of the vote.

This is an absolute landslide. You would think in a conservative county like Placer, that a measure that gives the County Supervisors a 138% pay raise would be stillborn.

Like anything on the ballot – see also Prop 47 that will put tens of thousands of dirtbags back on the streets – its’ mere presence is a threat.

In years’ past – the Placer GOP Central Committee has been a lightening rod and tremendously effective.

In 2008, the Placer GOP defied the establishment and endorsed Tom McClintock over Doug Ose. Tom Hudson was the Chairman at that time.

As a result of said endorsement – Republican electeds like Ted Gaines and Roger Niello both pulled their funding for voter registration bounty – because Central Committees “were not supposed to endorse”. Since that time the local electeds and the Placer  GOP had been at odds until $85k of outside money came in and blew several “Undesireables” out of the Placer GOP in 2012.

I have told the story repeatedly about the chain of events surrounding Doug LaMalfa’s senate campaign, the un proven charges and the idiots in the local tea parties that were recruited in a Jihad against the leadership of the Central Committee, but…

… The other side of the lynching of the Conservatives off of the Placer GOP Central Committee by Ted Gaines, Beth Gaines, Jim Nielsen, Doug LaMalfa and GOP Leadership (funded by Charles Munger at the behest of someone who may or may not have been Connie Conway to avenge Beth Gaines) has now come home to roost.

The majority on the Central Committee are Tea Partiers that are still under the effects of their brainwashing. They vote in lock-step with the do-nothing Moderate Leadership. And, while Dennis Revell was quoted recently talking about how liberal Art Moore is, do not forget, Revell is a social liberal and his closest allies on the Cent Com are open in their hostility towards religious Conservatives.

The Tea Partiers did next to nothing in Placer County. Ed Rowen – who had his character assassinated by Dennis Revell only a few months earlier, led volunteers to walk 35 precincts for Tom McClintock. By himself, Mr. Rowen, the President of the Placer CRA, who was specifically targeted by Dennis Revell and the Tea Partiers on the Placer GOP Cent Com – outperformed the entire Central Committee’s volunteer effort.

However, Beth Gaines, Ted Gaines, Jim Nielsen and Doug LaMalfa in particular needed to make sure that they had their revenge for the PCRA and its’ members not supporting any of them despite the fact that none of them have done a thing for the Placer GOP – in fact, they gutted the Placer GOP Cent Com and did less than nothing for the GOP in Placer County now.

When Jeff Atteberry was told he was done as Cent Com Chairman, he was told that the $40k he had raised as Cent Com Chair was a failure. Please note that had it not been for a golf tournament run by CRA Member Ken Hubert – the Placer GOP Cent Com would have raised negative money and to this day, the dwindling balance in the accounts were left over from the ousted PCRA Leadership.

But Gaines, Gaines, Nielsen and LaMalfa got their revenge. Apparently, in their mind, who cares if the local party is dead as long as people they don’t like are not a part of it?

Meantime – Measure B Passed in a landslide.

You see, the Cent Com Railroaded a no on B position without ever giving the yes side a chance to speak. Tom Hudson and Ken Campbell, arguably the two most Conservative activists in Placer County, both former Cent Com Chairs were the leaders of the No on B campaign. You would think that two men with their influence, backed by an official GOP endorsement in a GOP year would have slain Measure B.

They had no back up from the Cent Com. While the local Tea Parties were furious over the “Pay Raise Thing”, they did next to nothing. This could have been the Placer GOP’s chance to shine. Instead, it exposed the ineptitude of the Placer GOP Cent Com.

The one piece of mail that was sent was basically paid for by Tom McClintock. There were some poorly homemade signs about No on B done independently, there was an email from Tom Hudson and a Robo-Call from Tom Hudson and that was the extent of the No on B campaign.

The Placer GOP Central Committee did no phone banking, walked no precincts and donated nothing to or for local elected candidates. Is this what Gaines, Gaines, LaMalfa and Nielsen wanted?

The Central Committee has become so ineffective that the Vice-Chair of the County Party (Mike Holmes)was defeated for re-election to the Auburn City Council!

The leadership of the GOP have a hard choice to make – reconcile with the people they have disagreed with in the past – or continue to #EPICFAIL. It really isn’t that hard.

However, the GOP leadership have an immediate problem on the Placer GOP. They need to get rid of Dennis Revell. He has failed miserably. His record is as follows:

$2k raised in two years. (Outside of McClintock effort for mailer)

Attacking and alienating the best volunteer in Placer County who single-handedly outperformed the entire Central Committee’s Volunteer Effort.

Inability to muster volunteers. The Placer GOP did no phone-banking and no precinct walking at all in 2014 for the local electeds at all.

The Vice Chair of the Central Committee Losing Re-Election for Auburn City Council.

Not a single dollar contributed to a Placer GOP endorsed candidate while the Dem Cent Com handed out nearly $5k.

Measure B passes with 62+% of the vote despite the heroic efforts of Ken Campbell and Tom Hudson.

The above is the definition of failure.

I am not suggesting that I am the solution. I named my kidney stones after Jim Nielsen and Doug LaMalfa for pete’s sake and worked for Beth and Ted’s primary opponents in 2012! Rather, the immediate answer to the Placer GOP’s leadership problem is within its’ own ranks.

With the humiliation of Mike Holmes and Dennis Revell, Tom Hudson and Ken Campbell could be the exact back to the future that the Placer GOP needs.

The last time GOP registration grew was under Ken Campbell’s tenure. He is a donor to all my favorite partisan electeds. Ken Campbell got it done, the GOP needs him back. Tom Hudson would be excellent as a #2. Tom is #2 material all the way with his knowledge of the CRP apparatus, the bevy of by-laws and campaign finance laws.

Ken Campbell is deep within the national ranks of the Tea Party. If anyone could rally the tea party to get off the overpasses and in to donating money and manning phone banks, it is Ken.

It is time to go back to the future. The Placer GOP should never be in a place again when a grotesque waste of money like measure B passes with the GOP powerless to do anything about it.

Placer County Measure B – An Introduction

 Placer County Measure B  Comments Off on Placer County Measure B – An Introduction
Aug 182014
 

The current pay structure was conceived in 1991. The current pay structure was set without adjustments for population or inflation.

I know of very few people still using a vehicle from 1991 and no one uses a computer or a telephone from 1991. Why should government be forced to do the same?

Placer County’s Budget has grown 340% since 1992. This is mostly due to growth and unfunded state mandates.

However, the current supervisor salary would qualify most in California for an Obamacare subsidy and an EBT card!

It’s absurd.

The proposed measure will put in place a formula for the supervisor’s pay that can not be changed without another vote of the people. The concept being floated that the supervisors would get “get to set their own pay” is a deceitful lie.

Some of the opponents of the measure are certainly driven by their personal hatred of the supervisors. Reading the ballot argument only solidifies that notion. The opponents seem to be obsessed with the notion that the job of being a supervisor is part-time. The argument as written seeks to diminish what the supervisors do so as to buttress the hollow argument against Measure B.

Two of the primary arguments against Measure B are also personal in nature – further undermining the arguments themselves.

That gets us to the governance of the county. Despite the state stealing money from counties to fund welfare programs – Placer County has slashed its’ long term debt by a staggering $160 million.

The County budget has a 6% reserve. During the Great Recession, you would be hard-pressed to find ANY County in California that has pulled off both of the above. Most Counties have reserves of less than 4% because many are unwilling to make the tough decisions. (like telling the public employee unions no, or not this much)

Measure B is less than .1% of the county budget. It amounts to $.60 a person in the County, yet some are willing to die on a hill over this.

You may be curious as to how the county was able to achieve these reserves and debt reduction? They changed up the public employee pension system and got massive concessions including requiring employees to pay the full cost of their part of the insurance benefits!

Measure B imposes the same benefits system onto the supervisors.

Perhaps this is why the Independent Charter Review Committee recommended a change to the compensation for Placer County Supervisors.

The opponents of the measure have staked their opposition on the notion that the supervisors work a part time job. They can’t make that case, in their own personal animus against the sitting supervisors, they’ve boxed themsevles in.

In my opinion – the absurdity of the opposition is underscored by the following: Not only has Placer county been well-run fiscally on all accounts, one of the staples of the ballot argument against was a personal attack along the lines of  “if the pay was so lousy, then why are they running for the job?”.

Jim Holmes and Robert Weygant drew little more than token opposition in their last campaign. Jack Duran (a democrat, no less) was re-elected in a majority Republican district by acclamation because none of the top recruits could afford to file because the time commitment was so onerous that the pay would not come close to making them whole for the loss of time. (so much for the part-time job argument, so much for the argument that the lousy pay is not a factor in the decision of would be candidates)

Unwittingly, the opponents made one of the strongest cases for Measure B. Their quip about the lousy pay puts Miracle Grow on the main reason why there have been few truly contested supervisor elections in the last decade. They also undermine their own argument about term limits – the terrible compensation has indeed helped three of the current supervisors stay in office with little or no opposition in their last election. Yet – the opponents of Measure B are arguing for the status quo!

Jack Duran is a trial lawyer with assets. Robert Weygant is retired with assets. Jim Holmes is retired with assets. Jennifer Montgomery is reputed to be a hippee living on a commune, leaving Kirk Uhler as the only supervisor with a “normal” working-class life.

This is wrong. This needs to change. We need to remove the barrier to “real” working-age people to be able to serve Placer County.

The fundamentals are all there – Measure B is the right change at the right time for Placer County. No more uncontested supervisor elections, it is time to run ALL of Placer County like a business by voting Yes on Measure B.