[GPCA Updates] GPCA ADVISORY -- Green Assembly candidates says governor wrong on taxes

[Green Party of California Updates]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
          News Advisory
THE GREEN PARTY OF CALIFORNIA
    HTTP://www.cagreens.org


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, June 2, 2009



Assembly candidate says governor wrong on taxes,
suggests meeting budget by taxing booze and tobacco,
releasing all non-violent prisoners and taxing polluters

SACRAMENTO – A Green Party candidate for Assembly said today that the
governor's continued claims that voters do not want new taxes to solve the
state's budget mess is wrong, and rewards the wealthy and polluters at the
expense of the poor, elderly and sick.

"Voters do support increased taxes on liquor and cigarettes to fund
education and health care spending. Why won't the governor and the
Legislature be honest and move in that direction?" asked Jack Lindblad, a
candidate for Assembly in the 39th District in Los Angeles.

He also wants to fix a loophole in Prop. 13 as it applies to business,
non-residential property.

"Revenues will be increased by redefining what constitutes a 'sale' of
non-residential property. It can then be reassessed by the County Assessor,
as can non-residential properties every 10 years even if no sale was made
in the interim," explained Lindblad.

He also encouraged the Governor to do more than release non-violent and
drug offenders a year early, suggesting that state prisons – which could
save billions of dollars in doing so – release non-victim offenders and
drug offenders.

"Budgetary spending based on locking people in prison for victimless crimes
is misguided policy, way out of control, and not sustainable at the current
levels of incarceration. A much smaller, revamped prison system will rein
in spending to help meet the budget," he said.

Lindblad also insists that instead of "draconian cuts" by the Governor to
social services, he sign universal, single-payer health care legislation,
which would "realize 30 percent savings over the current privatized
structure, and lower the state budget deficit."

Finally, the state should tax those who pollute the environment.

"Currently our legislative agenda favors corporate interests over the
people's interests. But we should reduce overall consumption to lower our
levels of greenhouse gas. We need to change from our current ‘growth'
economy to a ‘steady state' economy, where the true cost of fossil fuel is
taxed as the cost of doing business," Lindblad said.

-30-