Posted on 06/03/2009 7:58:23 AM PDT by SmithL
Assemblyman Roger Niello, who cast a key vote to pass a state budget that raised taxes this year, has been replaced as the GOP's point man on the Assembly Budget Committee.
The Fair Oaks Republican will hand his committee post to Assemblyman Jim Nielsen, R-Gerber, who is a freshman in the lower house but served a dozen years in the Senate, leaving in 1990.
The switch was made by the Assembly's new Republican leader, Sam Blakeslee of San Luis Obispo, who has stressed that taxes cannot be raised again in tackling a $24.3 billion shortfall.
"There is no doubt that our party believes that raising taxes in a time of recession, especially after seeing taxes rise just three months earlier, would be a catastrophically bad policy choice," Blakeslee said.
Blakeslee said he has the "highest respect and regard" for Niello but that he was forming a new leadership team and felt Nielsen's experience - he served four years as Senate Republican leader - would be invaluable.
(Excerpt) Read more at sacbee.com ...
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