Last week I penned a lengthy commentary where I highlighted the fact that San Luis Obispo County Supervisor Katcho Achadjian, who is seeking the GOP nomination for the 33rd Assembly District this Tuesday, had not signed the Americans for Tax Reform "No New Taxes Pledge."
Today, on behalf of Katcho’s campaign, I was faxed this signed copy of the ATR pledge. For and foremost, I commend Katcho for publicly committing to the voters that he seeks to represent that if he is elected to the State Assembly, he promises never to vote for a tax increase. In signing this pledge, Katcho joins with his two primary opponents, Etta Waterfield and Matt Kokkonan.
I do find it interesting to note that Katcho’s pledge is dated for May the 20th — a week and a half before I penned my column. So it does make one wonder why Katcho signed the pledge, but then kept to it himself and didn’t send it in to Americans for Tax Reform to be officially registered. It sure would have saved me a lot of time and trouble.
Also odd is that I sent a couple of very explicit emails to Katcho’s consultant, Jim Nygren, informing him that I was writing on this. These were both sent after his client had already signed the pledge. It would have been most helpful if Nygren had told me that is was already signed. Also odd was that I spoke with a couple of people, supporters of Katcho, in the days preceding my column, who informed me they were lobbying Katcho hard to sign the pledge. Apparently he had not told them, either, that he had already signed it.
Oh well, the important thing is that it is signed, and that Katcho — if elected — will stand with virtually every other Republican legislator in California — against new or higher taxes!
Finally, I guess there is some robo-call going on in the 33rd to Republicans from FR friend Tom Bordonaro (currently the SLO County Tax Assessor, formerly a member of the State Legislature himself) that is telling people that claims that Katcho had not signed the ATR pledge are not true. I’m sure you will agree that any reasonable person would have to assume that if Katcho’s name was not on the ATR website as signing the pledge, that he had not signed it.