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Jon Fleischman

Commentary: McCarthy taps Justin, San Diego GOP Pickup, Gov. wants to end a 2/3 vote protection that isn’t there??

TIME TO BUY STOCK IN JUSTIN COMPANY!
Congratulations go out to FlashReport Sacramento Correspondent Joe Justin.  For those who didn’t realize that in addition to writing for this site, Joe actually does other work…Joe is recognized as one of California’s most accomplished political campaign professionals.  His resume is long, and his successes around the country are many.  It was announced yesterday in a caucus of Assembly Republicans that Joe has been tapped by Assembly Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy to be the lead political consultant overseeing efforts to pick up GOP seats in the lower house in this year’s elections!  This is a great pick!  Now whether even ‘Mighty Joe’ can impact the iron-clad districts of the infamous "Incumbent Protection" reapportionment plan we have in place in this state…??

GREAT NEWS FROM SAN DIEGO
It appears that Republican Mayor Sanders may have a new GOP colleague on the City Council.  As released by San Diego GOP Chairman (and State GOP Vice Chairman) Ron Nehring:


In San Diego, REPUBLICANS PICKED UP A SEAT on the San Diego City Council when Republican Kevin Faulconer beat Democrat Lorena Gonzalez in a district where the Democrats have a 4% advantage in voter registration.  This shifts the balance on the San Diego City Council closer to that of new Republican mayor Jerry Sanders, who won last year.

This was a special election to fill a seat vacated when a Democrat was convicted of corruption

WHY DOES THE GOV WANT TO REPEAL A 2/3 VOTE REQUIREMENT…THAT DOESN’T EXIST?
An e-mail from the Governor’s office, entitled "2006-07 Budget Plan Funds Infrastructure, Education" the following paragraph immediately caught my eye:

Proposition 218 Constitutional Amendment – In an effort to increase the local funds available for flood control and water projects, the Governor has reiterated his support for ACA 13, which removes local water districts from the provisions of Proposition 218, allowing districts to raise fees by a majority vote of the local electorate rather than the presently required 2/3 vote

I immediately dropped a note to Jon Coupal, the President of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, and got this immediate response:

“It is extraordinarily frustrating for those who have supported Governor Schwarzenegger in the past to see this administration launch a direct assault on important taxpayer protections.  Specifically, the Governor has called for a repeal of a key provision of Proposition 218 which permits property owners to have a say in whether a benefit assessment is imposed on their property.  What is even more perplexing is that the rationale for this constitutional change is based on a lie:  To wit; that Proposition 218 requires a two-thirds vote for the imposition of an assessment for flood control projects.  It does not.  Under the existing constitutional authority of Proposition 218, a benefit assessment for flood control can be imposed by a simple majority vote of the property owners.  As proof of this inalterable truth, one need look no further than a levy imposed by SAFCA (Sacramento Area Flood Control Agency) just a few years ago.

This administration’s Department of Water Resources has been directly confronted by the Howard Jarvis Taxpayer Association and several members of the Assembly Republican Caucus about this lie and they simply have no answer.  And yet they continue to perpetuate this blatant falsehood."

The Governor and his inner circle are not minding the store.  Someone in the horseshoe needs to confront DWR and do it now.” 

OK…Hopefully someone over at the Governor’s office reads this silly report, and can shed some light.

Enjoy your day, and remember to keep an eye on the FlashReport Weblog throughout the day for breaking news, and insights from our 15 contributors from around California…

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