Voter initiative filed to repeal California gas tax increase
One legislator who made the hike possible is being targeted for recall.
Last month, I reported that California’s lawmakers had approved a gas tax hike that was supposedly directed to funding the state’s infrastructure repair and maintenance programs.
However, one Republican assemblyman suspects that Californians are unhappy with this particular piece of legislation and would be willing to repeal it if given the chance.
Travis Allen, a Republican assemblyman from Orange County, filed the proposed 2018 ballot measure to eliminate the $5.2 billion annual package to fund road improvements.
On Thursday, Allen launched a website asking for contributions of $5 to help him gather the 365,880 signatures from registered voters to place the repeal before voters. Allen can begin to gather signatures once the state attorney general issues a title and summary for his repeal.
“If we work together a $5 dollar investment today will save you thousands in the long run,” Allen wrote on the site.
Allen is proposing a diverse stream of possible funding sources, including tribal gambling revenue, to replace the tax.
I suspect that this initiative will be more successful than the recent #CalExit attempt. Dawn Wildman, Director of the California Tea Party Groups Coalition, notes that the gas tax hike is one issue that will bring Californians together.
“The voters are angry about how the hike went through, and the deals made to get the critical votes,” Wildman noted. “The California Tea Party groups’ first major success was stopping a tax hike [California Proposition 1A/2009]. We hope to help repeal this one. We also hope to end the Democratic Party’s super-majority status that has done nothing by hurt California. Between the tax hike, the Sanctuary State legislation, and the Single Payer proposal, it has been one legislative antic after another.”
Radio talk shows in the state are also spreading the word about the initiative, and targeting one of the legislators who made it possible for recall.
In Fullerton, three Southern California radio talk show hosts kicked off a campaign Thursday to recall state Sen. Josh Newman, a first-term Democratic legislator who barely edged out his Republican opponent in November, in retaliation for his vote.
“That’s the only thing that works, is to take one of their team members out, politically,” said Ken Chiampou, who hosts with John Kobylt “John and Ken” on KFI-AM in Los Angeles. “If there’s no consequence, no punishment, then they’re going to keep right on doing this crap.”
The Los Angeles hosts, joined by Carl DeMaio of KOGO-AM in San Diego, drove home the point by launching their recall campaign at an Arco gas station.
So, it appears as if our state is going to have its own version of “repeal and replace” as part of the 2018 election festivities!
DONATE
Donations tax deductible
to the full extent allowed by law.
Comments
It’s too bad I’m not in this country illegally. Otherwise I’d vote to repeal this tax.
Y’all do realize that this is California which is now TOTALLY Democrat controlled and if the peons actually dare to vote to overturn the tax or to actually remove a sitting Democrat [heresy!] that the California courts will rule that they really did not mean it AND that it is a violation of the divine right of Statists.
That is exactly correct. Until very recently, Californians had repeatedly and overwhelmingly supported DOMA, border control, lower taxes and other causes via elections and initiatives. In each and every case, they were challenged and court where they either died from abandonment or overturned.
And now that the CA GOP State Committee committed suicide by agreeing to the jungle primaries, there is no possibility of recourse at the ballot box. With NPV, that will be the entire US.
“Until very recently…”
…California was demographically a very different place. I think, based on the numbers, that California is doomed to liberal control. It will be interesting to see what happens to Kevin McCarthy. All the gerrymandering in the world can’t fight the changing demographics. The Central Valley, long a conservative bastion, is steadily turning purple and blue is on the horizon. (Which might be why we fled the state. 😉 )
I live in Pasadena (obviously) which together with San Marino, Sierra Madre, and a few others used to be solid Republican. That ended after our Congressman Jim Rogan led the floor leadership in orchestrating the impeachment of BJ Clinton. When Hollywood organized to defeat him, the GOP completely abandoned him and that was the end of that.
I’m right behind you. I will be checking out of the hotel soon. I am looking to buy a home in Prescott AZ by next year. CA has become too weird and creepy.
I’ll certainly miss the weather but that’s about it. Half of my book of clients have moved out already and all of my referrals are from out of state these days. Nothing to keep me here anymore.
There is nothing wrong with a gas tax increase if it is used for maintenance and upgrades to roads, bridges etc.
But no one believes that it will be sued for those purposes and the gas tax will end up being used for social engineering and political giveaways by Gov. Brown and friends
More likely, all the platinum pensions California’s Democrats have given as bribes to its state employees for their votes.
Underfunded platinum pensions.
as a native, i can predict, with absolute confidence, that, if the tax increase occurs, most, if not all, of the funds raised will be used for anything BUT what they claim they will be used for.
i laugh at my neighbors when they get all incensed that the funds they just voted for are almost immediately diverted… i ask them “WTF did you think they were going to do with the $$? did you actually believe those lying scumbags? if so, you’re a fool.”
Somehow, I have a feeling that that $5 won’t be “enough” and ….
Governor Brown better make it $5000 tax per gallon.
I mean how else will Governor Brown pay for all his illegal voter imports?
This somewhat related- the cost of using roads in Massachusetts. Should be of interest to a law professor who lives in NY but drives to RI.
MA uses EZ Pass, as does NY.
NY charges X amount per vehicle using EZ Pass going from Toll A to Toll B, regardless of where the EZ Pass is issued. Which makes perfect sense- the toll is based on road usage. And it doesn’t cost one scintilla more to get the money from an out of state issued EZ Pass.
MA toll rates are published here- http://www.masslive.com/news/boston/index.ssf/2016/10/mass_pike_new_toll_rates_broke.html
Passing under the Lee toll reader costs a MA driver EZ Pass 25¢. It runs 30¢ for a NY EZ Pass. That’s a 20% tariff on New Yorkers, or any other out of staters going past that reader. The highest appears to be Newtonville, 35¢ vs $1.00, a 186% markup. Seems to me this is a clear violation of The Constitution Article 1 Section 10 Powers Prohibited of States. Considering other rulings on The Commerce Clause, it would also seem to be in clear violation of that.
I didn’t check all the other states, but I did check PA, since I drive their toll roads from time to time. Like NY, they don’t tax out of staters for driving through.
I only became aware of this disparate treatment recently because of a trip to Boston. And why was I going to Boston? To walk the Freedom Trail with my Boy Scout Troop. God time to notice such a thing.
Good time, not God time. Wish there was an edit button- mistypes always show up right after you hit submit.
There is just no way the People’s Republic of Kalifornia’s bourgeoisie will permit the proletariat to reduce the amount of money going into their pockets. The fix is already in.
this can be solved by a bolt action (no need for a “scary black rifle”) put a few of them in body bags they will quit robbing you.
Gas tax…how else can Gov. Moonbeam pay the legal fees for the illegal beaners in CA?