
Incoming Assembly GOP Leader Dumps Niello, Who Voted For Higher Taxes, From Budget Vice Chairmanship
This morning the office of Assembly Republican Leader-Elect Sam Blakeslee announced that his first official leadership team member is north state Assemblyman, and former State Senator, Jim Nielsen (pictured right). Nielson, who has been serving as the GOP’s point person on the Appropriations Committee will now occupy a positionthat Blakeslee is calling the "Chairman of Ways and Means" for Assembly Republicans — and in addition to being the Vice Chairman of the Appropriations Committee, Nielsen will also serve as Vice Chairman of the Budget Committee.
Not mentioned in Blakeslee’s release (he’s ever so tactful) is the significant shift of pulling out of Roger Niello from his coveted Budget Committee slot, in order to give it to Nielson. Niello, who is quite unapologetic about his decision to hit Californians with over $14 billion in higher taxes (and his attempt, with his support of 1A, to actually boost that figure… Read More