Assemblywoman Diane Harkey just sent this over…

Unbeknownst to most Californians, yesterday was the Special Election run-off for Congressional District 32, a traditionally Democrat-controlled seat due to the infamous gerrymandered districts we have here on the left coast.  Not surprisingly, Judy Chu, Democrat from the San Gabriel Valley and current Member of the Board of Equalization, District 4 – another seat traditionally held by Democrats – won by a margin nearly parallel to the RE v. DEM voter registration gap (against Republican Betty Chu). This leaves us with a vacancy on the State Board of Equalization upon Judy Chu’s resignation. The important question: Who will Governor Schwarzenegger appoint to replace her on the Board of Equalization? 

Rumors have it that the Governor is “worried” about his legacy. So far, many of us have been impressed with his recent “about face” towards fighting on behalf of the taxpayers and promising to veto any budget that even hints of raising taxes or fees.  Fighting for taxpayers on a responsible budget deal is a great place to start.  However, it doesn’t end there.  He has the opportunity to leave a lasting mark on the state’s future that will benefit generations to come – especially when it comes to taxes. 

The Governor shouldn’t think twice about appointing a Republican to the BOE District 4 seat.  At a minimum, for a period of 18 months Republicans could retain control of this Board and work diligently with the Governor to overhaul the state’s only tax agency with directly elected representatives that oversee and regulate all sales and use tax programs; special taxes and fees; property tax appeals and other business tax revenue programs in California.  The Governor would be remiss in appointing another Democrat simply because a Democrat is more likely to win in the 2010 Election.  I won’t get into “naming”, but Arnold has some excellent GOP candidate choices that have served in other capacities and would be highly respected and likely to get confirmed by the Senate (some of which are close to him personally). 

Hopefully the Governor sees this incredible opportunity.  His new track record (and TV commercials) suggests he is on a path of standing for California – let’s hope he keeps going.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 15th, 2009 at 12:00 am and is filed under Blog Posts.