CA: Divisions are deep in debate on auto fees

Sac Bee ^ | 1/28/03 | Margaret Talev

[NormsRevenge]

Assembly Democrats on Monday began laying the groundwork to attempt to force a reluctant Gov. Gray Davis to raise vehicle license fees.

In two votes that divided along party lines, the Democratic-controlled Assembly Budget Committee tied $8.6 billion in spending cuts sought by Davis to a plan he opposes that would add $4 billion to local government coffers by raising the fees car owners pay.

[NormsRevenge]

Just watched the votes in State Assembly, the demRats are doing their darndest to get the road paved for the VLF increases. It is a sad thing to watch when govt runs amuck. Oropeza and Kuehl, 2 pathetic politico operatives are jamming it to the taxpayers of California. The Republicans are being ridiculed for not getting with the program... or should I say pogrom?

[Dog Gone]

The Republicans should maintain a very low profile. Let the Democrats make the decisions that will infuriate voters.

[CyberAnt]

Actually, Tom McClintock told Roger Hedgecock that if the CA dems pass the car fee increase, the GOP will immediately legislate for a referendum which would put the measure on the ballot.

Sooooo ... let the dems raise the car fee again ... the GOP will get it on the ballot and defeat it AGAIN!!

[Republicus2001]

Actually, Tom McClintock told Roger Hedgecock that if the CA dems pass the car fee increase, the GOP will immediately legislate for a referendum which would put the measure on the ballot.

which "freezes" the rate hike until the election fails to overturn

[CyberAnt]

Oh we'll overturn it - we've already done it before in a landslide vote!

[dpwiener]

Oh we'll overturn it - we've already done it before in a landslide vote!

I agree that a referendum would easily overturn a hike in the Car Tax. However (and maybe my memory is suddenly failing me) I don't recall the Car Tax ever before being on the ballot in California.

[FITZ]

I think you're right ---the Republicans didn't win, obviously the voters want the Democrats' solutions. The Republicans should just lay low and see the mess they make solving it.

[CyberAnt]

Hmmmm? I know McClintock was involved in the last reversal. I also know the increase went through - because I had to pay it ($320 instead of $180). So if we didn't vote it out - how did it get changed back to the old rates ...??

[dpwiener]

The Republicans were able to pressure the Democrats into enacting a reduction in the Car Tax, to avoid an initiative measure that would have repealed it. At the time the State was flush with money, and the Democrats weren't able to get away with spending all of the surplus, so this constituted a modest tax cut.

The cities and counties hated the Car Tax cut, even though the Legislature "backfilled" them, because they knew that the moment the State's finances tightened up again that backfill would disappear (just as the State raided local governments and agencies during the 1991 budget crisis).

[goldstategop]

The thing is the Democrats are trying to tie the hands of a governor of their own party and saddle him with a tax increase they're themselves unwilling to cast an up or down vote on. I hope this obnoxious scheme of theirs to increase the car tax is headed for a swift veto but in the event it isn't, Republicans should immediately move to put it to a referendum. Trust me when the voters see how much more they have to pay to keep their cars and trucks on the road, it'll go down to a walloping defeat. The Democrats are hankering to increase the car tax because they refuse to acknowledge that we in California have a spending and not a revenue problem.

[CyberAnt]

Well ... all I know is my car tax was doubled and the following year it was reduced back to what it should have been.