Gaines, Bigelow bring no new taxes message to Tahoe
By Kathryn Reed
A unified anti-tax voice permeated the room as state Sen. Ted Gaines and Assemblyman Frank Bigelow spoke Friday to their constituents in South Lake Tahoe.
The two Republican legislators meandered through the crowd at Riva Grill before each addressed the assembled guests.
“We don’t need additional taxes, what we need is to streamline government,” Gaines said March 1 in response to a question by South Lake Tahoe City Councilwoman Angela Swanson.
State Sen. Ted Gaines and Assemblyman Frank Bigelow talk March 1 in South Lake Tahoe. Photo/Kathryn Reed
She asked about whether the two men favored changing the current two-thirds requirement to raise taxes to be lowered to 55 percent.
“We have a problem in the system. There are a number of items that are bloated. We need to fix that before we ask anyone to step up and pay more,” Bigelow said.
Gaines touched on a few bills he is working on. From the get-go Gaines opposed the governor’s fire fee; instead calling it a tax. Senate Bill 17 would repeal the $150 fee CalFire levies on buildings in State Responsibility Areas (SRA). Senate Bill 125 exempts a property owner of a structure that is located both within an SRA and within the boundaries of a local fire protection district from paying the $150 tax. Senate Bill 147 exempts any property owner located within an SRA who has an income of less than 200 percent of the federal poverty level from paying the $150 fire tax.
He also talked about the state Board of Equalization on Feb. 28 voting to raise the excise tax on gasoline by 3.5 cents per gallon, which will be effective July 1.
Gaines also said he is working with Lake Tahoe Community College on a bill that would allow Nevada residents to attend the two-year institution at the rate Californians pay.
He tiptoed around the loop road controversy, saying it’s a “local decision.” While that is true, it is also a state issue because it involves a state highway.
This was Bigelow’s first public meeting on the South Shore since he was elected in November.
While the legislators said they are not anti-regulation, they agree it needs to be logical and reasonable. Considering the Lake Tahoe Basin is often touted as one of the most regulated regions in the country, the people listening are constantly facing layers of rules not often found elsewhere.
Both men represent a large swath of the state.
Gaines, who is from the Roseville area, is in a district that goes from Alpine County to the Oregon border. The 11 counties it encompasses is larger than 10 U.S. states. Bigelow’s Fifth District, which is newly realigned, takes in nine counties from El Dorado to Madera, where he is from.
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Note:
Gaines is hosting a March 12 open house at his El Dorado Hills office that opened last month. It is from 6-8pm at 4359 Town Center Blvd., Ste. 112, El Dorado Hills.
What Ted Gaines said: “We don’t need additional taxes”.
What Ted Gaines meant: Don’t mess with the 2%ers that fund my campaigns, let the burden of the deficit fall on the shoulders of the 98%ers, since I as a member of the GOP could care less about!
California is the number one ‘moocher and drug thug’ states and it is driving people away.
People don’t want to work hard and shell out their hard earned money to pay for those who don’t want to work and the ‘wake and bake’ types compounded by government employees that think they deserve 6 figure pensions payed for by taxes.
This recent U-Haul study illustrates how many people are leaving California for friendly states.
http://youtu.be/l_sGbrtOzA8
It is the type of people, the moocher type of Californians that are driving the productive people away.
South Lake Tahoe is full of this type of moocher ‘drug thug’ types. It is among the worst communities in this regard.
I totally agree with not raising taxes or increasing fees. I also agree the present government and rules/regulations needs to be pared down. Streamlined as it’s said. Too much B.S. throughout. Common sense needs to start prevailing.
We must live in the most backasswards county in the state. I wish I knew they were in town. Tom McClintock is the other Tea Party nut that “represents” us in Congress. Why doesn’t our government work? Well there are 3 reasons. Vote these idiots out of office.
AROD- instead of throwing what you consider insults, please start providing facts. If you want to turn public opinion, give us something to evaluate. Facts, Facts, Facts are what will convince others.
Arod, You are another reason for people to say no to South Lake Tahoe.
AROD,
Don’t bother trying to change the opinions of those in the public whose political philosophy and personal business practices are based on a horribly written, economically ridiculous novel by a sociopathic hypocrite. Facts mean absolutely nothing to the Randians or their stooges like these two “public servants”, what a joke, and you’ll never convince them that they’re wrong, it’s called being delusional.
It’s not a game anymore with the extreme right Teabaggers… it’s the life and death of our Democracy.
S.Cofant— again you like AROD are throwing out intended insults but you aren’t making sense to people who might be interested in your opinion.
In a debate when one can’t make their point for the audience to side with them, they tend to revert to insults and unsubstaniated statements which can’t be verified in the hope to confuse.
If you can’t change the opinions of the public, you might consider why?
If I could feel the intensity of your words through this posting, I’m sure they are red hot, in fact if you compared it to driving I’m sure it would be “word rage” instead of “road rage”.
S.Cofant and AROD are so full of hate and jealousy.
SLT deserve better.
tahoeadvocate and PubWorksTV,
If you want me to admit that I despise the treasonous maneuvers of the teabaggers in Congress that would rather crash the economy than make any reasonable balanced approach to coming back from the Bush disaster, I will…all day.
If you consider my accusations of malfeasence as insults, you are completely correct on that point.
S.Cofant, aka Smedley Butler, it’s time to take your insults elsewhere.
Kathryn Reed, LTN publisher
Insults, not OK. But you can say disparaging things based on race.
Thems the rules.
Not really in a position to try and promote an opinion, but I’m curious: were these guys enroute to a costume party when they had their picture taken?
gaines and bigelow are two reasons to vote out the bums, mcclintock is a third
What is McClintock doing in Tahoe??? Why isn’t he in Washington????
Oh that’s right. A 4 day weekend is more important than taking care of
business. He should be voted out and I am not a democratic.