Opinion and Commentary By Donna Westfall – March 10, 2024

Isn’t it a shame that things have to get so bad before voters will show up and switch parties? And even then, few registered voters actually voted. In Del Norte County that percentage was 41%.

From Carl DeMaio’s Reform California’s group, “the numbers prove voters are hungry for bold and aggressive fighters for change.” In 15 key races, 11 Republicans led Democrat candidates.

1. SD19 (Inland Empire) — Rosilicie Ochoa-Bogh
2. SD 23 (Los Angeles) — Suzette Martinez-Valladares
3. AD7 (Citrus Heights, Folsom, Rancho Cordova) — Josh Hoover
4. AD22 (Central Valley) — Juan Alanis
5. AD27 (Central Valley) — Joanna Garcia Rose
6. AD36 (Riverside) — Jeff Gonzalez 
7. AD40 (Santa Clarita, San Fernando Valley) — Patrick Lee Gipson
8. AD58 (Riverside) — Leticia Castillo
9. AD70 (Garden Grove, Fountain Valley) — Tri Ta
10. AD74 (South OC/Oceanside) — Laurie Davies
11. AD76 (San Marcos, Escondido, Rancho Bernardo) — Kristie Bruce-Lan

Even in DeMaio’s own race for CA State Assembly District 75, he holds a commanding first-place lead with 44% of the vote even after the Sacramento Swamp spent $1.4 million against his campaign in dishonest attacks.

I still hope to see politicians elected to office one day soon that want to cut back on taxes, fees and regulations. The gas tax. The death tax. Property tax. Registration fees for vehicles, etc.. The list seems endless. I’d like to see a lot of government workers out of work and looking for work in the private sector. I’d like to see those $200,000 and $300,000/year employees in our County retired and salaries and benefits begin over at a lower rate with newer people.

These are just a few of the taxes our California politicians want to impose:

• A Wealth Tax – California would be the first state to impose a draconian tax on your assets, not just your income!
• A Mileage Tax – Gas and car taxes are automatically increased every year and now politicians want a tax charge foreach mile you drive!
• A Tax on Moving Out of State – California would also be the first state to impose a tax on people who flee the state.
• Property Tax / Repeal of Prop 13 – Partial or total repeal of Prop 13 from 1978 which protects homeowners against massive property tax hikes.
• Income Tax – New and higher tax brackets for all income levels – it’s not just the so-called “rich” that will get hurt.
• Sales Tax – Every election nearly 200 measures are placed on the ballot to increase state and local sales tax rates.
• Utility Rate Hikes — We have uncovered over $4.5 billion in hidden state taxes and fees that are spiking your rates, and passing this initiative will help us repeal those charges that are making your electricity and gas more expensive than it should be.

And then there are the bonds. Just look at the $25 million school bond. Sitting in that audience listening to the “Citizen Oversight Committee” was disgusting. The only one that made any sense was Angelina Countess Bieber and she was largely ignored. I haven’t had the stomach to go sit in the Measure R “Citizen Oversight Committee” audience. Now that they became an advisory committee (without a vote I might add), wonder what they will do if Measure R goes to the ballot this November to be repealed? Why can’t these folks remember to put an ending date to these taxes? You know as well as I do, that as long as the money keeps coming in, they’re going to grow the government and keep spending. Like “Animal Control”. When did that ever become an emergency service?

What’s happening on Prop 1: Gov. Newsom’s $6.4 billion mental health bond measure; about 50.1% Yes to 49.9% No. That’s a nail bitter for sure. If passed, the state would have to repay the bonds at $310 million each year for 30 years — a potentially unpalatable figure when the state is already grappling with a nearly $38 billion budget deficit….. well some say the budget deficit is far larger than that. Try $58 billion, no $68 billion, no, $73 billion!

DeMaio goes on, “Because of California’s crazy ballot counting process, millions of ballots are likely left to be counted statewide and final results won’t be known for 3-4 weeks in some close races.”