May 2017 BayAreaGOP Newsletter Articles
10 (more) Reasons To Vote Democrats Out After They Raised Taxes By $52 Billion
- Over the last five years, the legislature diverted transportation funds earmarked for road repair to other purposes, and then told Californians they need to pay higher taxes for road repair.
- Existing road repair funds are still being diverted.
- California drivers already pay one of the highest gas taxes in the nation.
- Almost $1 billion per year of SB 1 funds will not be spent on roads and will go to other projects.
- In addition to the 12 cent increase in the gas tax, SB 1 added on another 7 cents per gallon that was buried in the bill’s fine print and not generally reported or understood.
- SB 1 included an inflation adjustment for the gas tax beginning in 2020 so taxes will go up automatically, in perpetuity, without a vote of the legislature, much less the 2/3 vote required by prop 13.
- Even though California suffers from the worst traffic in the nation, almost none of the $52 billion in tax increases will go toward building additional lanes for traffic relief.
- The bill was jammed through the legislature without the normal hearing and public input process which would have allowed individuals affected by the tax increases to be heard.
- Democratic leaders had to promise nearly $1 billion in backroom deals for wavering legislators just to get the votes to pass the bill.
- It’s a $52 billion tax increase that makes California even more unaffordable for middle and working class families.
Peter Verbica Leads the California Congress of Republicans
The Bay Area’s Peter Verbica has been elected by the California Congress of Republicans to serve as its new state president for the next two years. He was elected unanimously at the recent state convention held in Burbank.
The California Congress of Republicans (CCR) is a grassroots political organization, founded in 1989 and permanently chartered by the California Republican Party. It has local chapters around the state.
In addition to usual Republican political goals, one of Peter Verbica’s major goals is more inclusion. He said, “We envision an inclusive Republican Party in California. We are the party of hope and opportunity for all Californians. We know what works and we have clearly seen what doesn’t work. Californians want a clear path to the best schools, reasonable gasoline and income taxes, dams and roads which are maintained, and land use policies which allow for affordable homes.”
Another goal is educational: “CCR is out to vigorously educate the public on critical issues, including how costs spiral upwards in higher education, housing and transportation because of government’s restriction of supply.”
Verbica points out that “California has some of the worst schools in the nation, the highest levels of poverty, a crumbling infrastructure, high gasoline, sales and income taxes, and restrictive land use policies which drive down supply and increase housing costs.”
Peter Coe Verbica is the current president of SPARC (South Peninsula Area Republican Coaltion), one of the most active CCR units. Professionally, he is a senior financial advisor and assistant vice president at a prominent wealth management company in Silicon Valley. He is also an adjunct professor in the Economics Department at San Jose State, where he teaches a popular “Principles of Investments” course.
Mr. Verbica has served the community on various non-profit boards and committees, including KTEH-TV, DeSaisset Museum, Bellarmine College Preparatory’s Board of Fellows, Boy Scouts, the Santa Cruz Ballet Theatre, Rotary Club of Santa Cruz and others.
Peter Verbica grew up on a cattle ranch in the hills of Northern California. He graduated from Bellarmine College Preparatory in San Jose. He earned his BA at Santa Clara University, a JD from Santa Clara University School of Law, and an MS at MIT.
His family donated the heart of Henry W. Coe, Jr. State Park, which is now California’s second largest state park. It’s located in the hills east of Morgan Hill and is named after Peter’s great grandfather.
Peter is an unabashed advocate of cowboy culture and enjoys creative writing, hiking, and tennis. He is married and has four daughters. He’s proud that his oldest daughter served in the US Navy and that his second daughter is helping with deforestation issues in the Panamanian rain forest with the Smithsonian Institution.
Other Bay Area Republicans elected at the CCR convention are Division Vice Presidents George Yang and Steve Brown. You can learn more about the California Congress of Republicans at their website, www.ccr-gop.org.
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