Wednesday, August 15, 2012

GOP lawmaker steps down from leadership following tax vote

EssEffChron

It appears that California Assemblyman Brian Nestande, R-Palm Desert (Riverside County), is the latest victim of the state GOP’s intransigent position on taxes.

Nestande surprised his colleagues Monday when he voted with Democrats to close a corporate tax loophole in order fund scholarships for middle income college students. On Tuesday, he announced that he was stepping down as Republican caucus chairman, saying he “decided to take the side of my constituents and California businesses” with his vote Monday.
...

There was no immediate reaction from his GOP colleagues, though Assembly Speaker John Perez, D-Los Angeles — who authored and championed AB1500 — praised Nestande.

“Assemblymember Nestande has been a thoughtful and dedicated public servant throughout his tenure in the Assembly, and I deeply respect the fact that his votes reflect his principles. He took a stand on behalf of tax fairness for California’s businesses and for providing critical relief to California’s middle class families, and I believe this kind of leadership should be practiced by every member of every party,” Perez said in a written statement.

Good on Assemblyman Nestande, but he's doing the next right thing after that right thing - when a Repug pol develops a conscience and does something for someone besides his corporate masters, it's time to go. No worries though, I doubt this will be a trend.

2 comments:

Fixer said...

Good on him. If you did expect a con to turn, you know he would be a Wes' Soas' or Eas' Coas' con. You ain't gonna see one from the 'Heartland' finding his conscience.

Gordon said...

the 'Heartland'

Pre-post-apocalyptic America.