Rep. Wagner’s Partisan District Survey

State Rep Don Wagner is my elected assemblyman.  I find his brand of politics extreme, and considering he’s in the minority wing of the state assembly, he refuses to compromise and as a result, our district suffers.  IUSD and TUSD are funded well below state averages but when I asked Wagner directly to support lowering the threshold to pass local taxes such as a parcel tax to help school districts get the funding that he, as an assembly member, is unsuccessful at securing, I might as well have been talking to a wax figurine.

Oddly enough, I’m likely to see Wagner at this weekend’s IPSF gala that raises money for the school districts.  I wonder if he pays his own way or gets comp’d for the event.

Wagner released a district survey and I’ve copied it below.  If this were an honest attempt to find out what the district is thinking, it’s a failure.  The questions are skewed to the extreme right with the exception of a space to write your own thoughts, which I guarantee Rep. Wagner doesn’t have the slightest interest in addressing unless it’s conservative in its nature.

Please answer the following questions, and I’ll be sure to address your concerns at the Capitol.

1. In recent years, California has faced multi-billion dollar budget deficits and will likely see more deficits in the future. What do you believe is the best way to balance the state budget?

(Please check one)

Cut government spending
Increase taxes
Enact pro-growth business policies
Combine tax increases with spending reductions

(ed’s note; I’ll applaud Wagner for including the last option.  It must have slipped him by.)

 

2. The governor’s cost-cutting “realignment” program and the inflexible rulings of a three federal judge panel together threaten the release of nearly ten thousand dangerous felons. How should the state respond to this problem?

(Please check one)

Increase prison capacity for full sentence incarceration
Increase prison capacity enough to house violent offenders
Don’t expand prison capacity, release non-violent offenders

4. Tell me about the things that matter most to you

(Please pick one)

Economic issues like job creation and cutting taxes
Social programs like food stamps and other welfare spending
Moral issues like traditional marriage and pro-life concerns
Ensuring a safe/reliable water supply for all Californians
Comprehensive immigration reform and border security
Protection of the environment
Government waste and deficit spending
Road, bridge, and other transportation system maintenance
Support for gov’t services like education and health care
The Second Amendment right to bear arms

(Gay marriage is the law of the land in California Don, deal with it)

5. Is there an issue that matters most to you that is not listed above?

(Please fill in your answer)

 

6. Do you support AB 1266, which allows boys to use girls’ locker rooms, restrooms and to play on girls’ sports teams?

(ed’s note: completely avoids the transgender distinction)

(Please check one)

Support
Oppose

7. Do you support the weakening of Proposition 13’s protections?

(ed’s note: how about reforming Prop 13 so commercial property owners adhere to the same standards as regular homeowners?  That option doesn’t exist)

(Please check one)

Support
Oppose

8. Do you support allowing unions to refuse to tell the truth and answer questions in court about some of their activities? (AB 729)

(ed’s note: just what is this question all about?  Notice the question doesn’t differentiate between public employee unions and any other union)

(Please check one)

Support
Oppose

9. Do you support extending the “temporary” car tax until 2022 and raise $2.3 billion in new taxes? (AB 8)

(Please check one)

Support
Oppose

10. Should California allow non-citizens to serve on its juries? (AB 1401)

(Please check one)

Support
Oppose

 

So now that the survey is out, I wonder if the Assemblyman will publicly share the results of the survey.  And if his constituents overwhelmingly favor raising taxes/cutting spending, would he vote according to the district.

The questions I’d like to ask Wagner:

If the majority of the returns of this survey answer a questions that is contrary to your conservative positions, will you vote for the will of the district or just keep voting to preserve your conservative record?

The financial outlook in California is considerably better today than it was when Governor Brown was elected through a combination of tax cuts and spending cuts; can you concede that Brown’s plan worked?

Can you please address the need to reform Prop 13 so that commercial property owners are required to pay property taxes on the sale of commercial buildings in the same way homeowners do when the buy/sell a home? This reform would provides billions in new revenue without impacting the taxpayers of the grandmother on a fixed income.