By Terry Gherardi

The newly seated El Dorado County Republican Central Committee (RCC) began the year by taking positions on proposed legislation and/or actions by local and state elected officials. Or, that which effects county residents and their families.

The first action from the RCC was in response to the Board of Supervisors’ vote to send a letter in support for two state bills: SB1 and AB1, increasing vehicle registration fees and also, tax increases for gasoline and diesel fuels. In their letter, the RCC asked that supervisors rescind their support for the two bills that “particularly harm rural counties, the most, like El Dorado, because our residents have to drive more miles compared to that of a typical urban California family.”

On the Feb. 7 BOS agenda Supervisor Michael Ranalli raised the matter as a recommendation for the board to reconsider its Jan. 24 letters of support to Assemblyman Jim Frazier and state Sen. Jim Beall, authors of the bills. By a unanimous vote, the supervisors asked county CAO Don Ashton to take a “watch” position,as the two bills move through the legislative process; to be reviewed by the board at a later date.

On March 8, after receiving letters from Sheriff John D’Agostini, El Dorado County RCC and Assemblyman Kevin Kiley, the El Dorado County Office of Education Board unanimously voted to approve Roseville-based John Adams Academy’s request to locate a K-12 campus in El Dorado County. Months earlier the Buckeye Union School District denied a charter petition request for the campus even though John Adams Academy was widely supported by families in the area and is in compliance with state education code.

John Adams was founded in 2010 and is fully accredited by the School Commissions of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. It is the only classical education, tuition free TK-12 school in Northern California.

Recently, the RCC was joined by the El Dorado County unit of the California Republican Assembly signing a letter to Supervisor Ranalli, requesting the BOS support a resolution declaring that El Dorado County complies with federal immigration laws and does not constitute a sanctuary jurisdiction.

A similar request by the county Republican’s was sent to the Placerville City Council, but this time requesting that the council oppose state Sen. Kevin DeLeon’s SB54 to declare California a sanctuary state. Decisions or actions by both the BOS and City Council are expected in the next couple of weeks.

At their meeting on March 13, RCC members unanimously voted to state their positions on several issues, including approval of letters to BOS Chairman Shiva Frentzen and Patti Borelli, chairwoman for the El Dorado County Transportation Commission, encouraging both county supervisors and transportation commissioners to support AB496, proposed by Assemblyman Vince Fong and co-authors Assemblymen Kevin Kiley and Frank Bigelow, both who represent El Dorado County. AB496 is for transportation funding in the state of California. RCC Chairman Todd White noted that “this plan ensures billions of dollars for California roads and infrastructure without raising taxes on hardworking California families. AB496 also ensures that money collected for transportation goes towards infrastructure, instead of being directed to the state’s General Fund.”

In the same letter to the EDC Transportation Commission Chairwoman Patti Borelli the RCC expressed their opposition to the EDCTC’s recent support of Senate constitutional Amendment 6, by state Sen. Scott Wiener. In their letter the RCC stated, “We believe that by lowering the threshold for raising taxes proposes a dangerous precedence.” Adding, “In a state already plagued by out-of-control irresponsible spending, making it easier to raise taxes is not an appropriate and/or sustainable solution for hardworking El Dorado County citizens.” SCA6 proposes to lower voter approval for new taxes from 66 percent to 55 percent.

The last letter approved by the RCC was addressed to Gov. Jerry Brown, expressing the committees support of Proposition 66, and their opposition to Briggs and Van De Kamp vs. Brown lawsuit filed to block the implementation of Proposition 66, stating, “The RCC feels compelled to have their committees perspective with the governor on the lawsuit, since one of the plaintiffs is Ron Briggs, a former elected official and resident of El Dorado County.”

Voters approved Proposition 66 in 2016, and according to McGregor Scott, former U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of California and co-chair of the “yes” on 66 campaign, “Proposition 66 was passed by the voters because they are sick of lawyers who oppose the death penalty, constantly undermining the system with lawsuit after lawsuit.” He added, “It is not at all ironic, and, is in fact a slap in the face to the voters, that their response to the passage of Proposition 66 was to file another lawsuit trying to thwart the voters.”

Adding to the irony by the action of former County Supervisor Ron Briggs, is that his father, former state Sen. John Briggs, sponsored the State Death Penalty Law as a 1978 ballot measure.

In a final action at their March meeting, the RCC voted unanimously to authorize Chairman Todd White and District 1 member/delegate Joy Knight to sign a resolution to support House Joint Resolution (H.J. Res. 61), referred to as the Flag Amendment, which would amend the Constitution to provide: “The Congress shall have power to prohibit the physical desecration of the flag of the United States.”

Additionally, the RCC resolved to support the effort of the Citizens Flag Alliance, a coalition of veterans, civic, businesses and fraternal organizations, to achieve adoption of the Flag Amendment, H.J. Res. 61 in the 115th Congress.

The El Dorado County Republican Central Committee is an elected body of the California Republican Party. Each of the county supervisor districts has anywhere from two to six elected or appointed representatives who serve Republican’s in their district. More information is available on the county party’s website.

Terry Gherardi is with the El Dorado County Republican Central Committee.