By Larry Weitzman

In less than a week after the Lake Tahoe News published two articles that heavily rebuked the El Dorado County Board of Supervisors for voting 5-0 at their last BOS meeting on Jan. 24 to write a letter of support for new state legislation (SB1 and AB1) which would significantly increase gasoline taxes and vehicle registration fees, one BOS member has placed an item on next Tuesday’s BOS agenda to rescind his action.

Larry Weitzman

Senate Bill 1, the legislation, by the legislative analyst’s estimation would raise about $7 billion annually in new tax revenue creating a per capita tax of about $180 for every man, woman and child in California. Such an increase in taxes would cost EDC taxpayers anywhere from $21 million to $32 million annually. EDC would receive only $10.1 million in additional road maintenance funding from that revenue.

Fourth District Supervisor Michael Ranalli evidently saw the errors of his ways in voting to support the tax increase and now pursuant to his request placed item No. 28 on the BOS agenda for the Feb. 7 meeting.

The item states, “Supervisor Ranalli, pursuant to County Ordinance Section 2.03.140: 1) Requests the Board reconsider the Board’s action on January 24, 2017, on File 17-0108, Agenda Item 38, authorizing the Chair to sign a letter of support to Senator Jim Beall in support of SB 1 and a letter of support to Assemblyman Jim Frazier in support of AB 1; and 2) If the Board votes to grant reconsideration of the action taken on File 17-0108, Supervisor Ranalli recommending the Board direct the Chief Administrative Office to schedule File 17-0108 as part of the February 14, 2017, Board meeting and to include information that will provide the Board and the public with a greater understanding of the projected impact of the potential tax and fee increases, as proposed within SB 1 and AB 1, on local businesses and residents.”

When Ranalli’s vote to raise taxes became so public he did try to explain his way out of it to a few county Republicans with what could be characterized as political double speak. Why would Ranalli do this? There is an election coming up in about a year and a half and voting to raise taxes in a county that votes 60 percent Republican and a district that is even heavier Republican could make Ranalli a one-term supervisor. There was nothing on the BOS calendar about directing the CAO to recommend meaningful spending cuts, just raising taxes and no suggestion by Ranalli to make cuts as well.

Larry Weitzman is a resident of Rescue.