California Commentary California’s shakedown government expands under Gavin Newsom

If you thought Gov. Gavin Newsom’s new gas tax, SBX1-2, was about punishing big, bad oil companies, it’s not. It’s actually about much more — and none of it is good news for taxpayers.

For those who weren’t paying attention last month, SBX1-2 was Newsom’s attack on California’s oil producers who, he alleges, have been gouging consumers with high gas prices. This is horrible legislation, not only for its substance but also for how it became law. The bill’s unusual number, SBX1-2, is the first giveaway that this was not normal legislation but rather the product of a “special session,” which Newsom called last December.

After no action on Newsom’s declared “crisis” for months, the bill was jammed through in less than a week. There were no meaningful hearings, no public testimony, no opportunity for those directly impacted to present opposing views. Because the legislation was moved during a “special session,” it was able (by design) to avoid many of the procedural requirements of normal legislation. This was a shameful display of raw political power which, thanks to one-party rule, is now all too common.

As for substance, SBX1-2 sets a new speed record in California’s headlong rush toward Soviet-style central planning. The Newsom gas tax law creates a new agency under the California Energy Commission with powers to investigate petroleum companies and impose new penalties, costs and regulations. This new agency is vested with the authority to decide how much profit oil and gas businesses are allowed to make.

SBX1-2 is a gross insult to taxpayers. First, the Legislature’s own analysis projects that it will cost nearly $10 million annually with a minimum of 34 new enforcement bureaucrats. Specifically, according to the Assembly Appropriations Committee, “this bill will result in significant ongoing costs to the [California Energy Commission] in the millions of dollars annually, to develop rules and review data submissions; to establish and administer the advisory committee and the division; to exercise its new authority to set a maximum margin; and to administer a penalty, if n See Coupal page A5

Belltower

Letters To The Editor

Fellow Travelers

EDITOR:

Ever since COVID, the bus hasn’t been the same. Many people who used to ride seem to have given it up and the schedule is much reduced. The drivers mostly remain, with their usual courtesy and care.

Wait, there is another difference. We talk to each other. Mostly we are people who didn’t qualify for the navigation center or older women, incorrigible. We can’t have too many friends.

On one trip I was visiting with a recent acquaintance and realized I was actually talking over another passenger as though we are well acquainted. He was so interested in what we were saying I didn’t notice his rapt attention. You can’t ask for more than that, can you?

eiD rate increase

EDITOR:

The El Dorado Irrigation District recently reported it had selected a firm to conduct an updated cost-of-service analysis in order to justify a rate increase.

Perhaps the water agency would be less in need of an increase in water rates if it paid its board of directors less in the way of compensation and benefits.

Based on information from EID’s webpage, board members receive a stipend of $1,250 a month for attending two board meetings a month. In addition EID pays the healthcare premium for the board members and 85% of the premium for eligible dependents. EID also pays the premium for a life insurance death benefit of $20,000 per board member.

Keep in mind that board members are elected officials and not employees and thus have no special qualifications they bring to the “job.” I question whether they are entitled to benefits normally given to employees and deserve such a generous stipend considering they only attend two meetings a month.

However, EID is typical as a lot of government employees and politicians who receive far more in compensation than they deserve considering the work they do or their qualifications.

Another egregious example of this is Dr. Fauci. His annual salary before he left was $456,028 and he is now earning a retirement pension of $414,667. At the same time Mr. “I am the science” was pushing the COVID-19 vaccine on everyone, he was earning 23 royalty payments from pharmaceutical companies and recently earned $5 million for a book about his life. I wonder if it will include information about his approval of gain-of-function research in China that led to COVID and his receiving royalty payments from pharmaceutical companies.

Is it any wonder that these agencies and the government are always looking for ways to increase the cost of service or for more tax dollars?

MARIAN FIELDCREST Diamond Springs

Rationalizing the nashville massacre

EDITOR:

After each senseless school massacre, we can always count on George Alger coming up with a number of excuses as to why the victims asked for it and the shootings were inevitable because of mental health issues, felons released by Democrats or silly slogans like: guns don’t kill people, people do, etc. — an endless litany of NRA and GOA nonsense. However, we can always count on Alger et al. to offer “sympathy and prayers.”

The Nashville shooting brought to 404 the number of children killed by guns since Jan. 1. That’s roughly five children per day, a slow year, for in recent years the number of kids killed has been closer to 10 per day. I realize that Alger and co. believe the right to own a machine gun and a bazooka are more important than the lives of children.

The logic of gun absolutists says: it is more important to protect a distorted interpretation of the Second Amendment than it is to protect a person’s right to the pursuit of life and happiness as expressed in the Preamble of the Constitution. Anyone killed by a gun will never enjoy life or happiness. Every dead child leaves parents, relatives, friends who will never recover from the pain.

When I belonged to the NRA, it was a shooter’s club. I quit when the gun lobby took it over and hit upon the genius idea of using the Second Amendment to promote lagging gun sales. The Second Amendment was written to permit slaveholding states to sign the Constitution, by allowing them to send armed deputized posses to hunt and kill, if necessary, runaway slaves. Men in power in those days did not want to share power with an armed mob that might turn its weapons on them some day.

JOHN GARON Placerville

District attorneys and Mountain Democrat publishers

Early Mountain Democrat publishers went on to other positions. One editor came from a different position.

Dan Gelwicks was editor and publisher of the Mountain Democrat beginning Feb. 25, 1854. He took on William January as co-editor and publisher Feb. 23, 1856, through Feb. 25, 1860.

Gelwicks went on to be the state printer and later director of prisons. January went on to be county treasurer for Santa Clara County.

Edgar Bogardus was El Dorado County sheriff from 1856-57. I don’t know what he did in between, but he showed up to be Mountain Democrat editor for a brief time, April 17, 1886, through April 24, 1886. He was listed by his initials: E.M.M. Bogardus. He must have found a better job or maybe didn’t work out as editor or didn’t like working for Publisher W.A. Selkirk.

The previous editor lasted six months. E.A. Smith was editor from June 5, 1880, to Dec. 4, 1880.

Selkirk gave up and named himself editor and publisher June 23, 1888.

Seven months later Selkirk named Bine Ingham co-publisher. Bine rode her horse from Coloma into Placerville to show up to work. She was quite a businessperson. Don’t know what happened to Selkirk, whether he died or got another job, but Bine Ingham became sole publisher Jan. 12, 1889.

Galusha J. Carpenter took over ownership of the paper Jan. 27, 1894. He had used the front office of the Mountain Democrat as a law office. The print shop was in the back.

Earlier he had served a two-year term as district attorney 1868-69.

G.J. Carpenter died Dec. 27, 1902. His daughter Mollie took over as publisher on that date. Then on Feb. 5, 1910, Mollie Carpenter added the indispensable Ingham as co-publisher. The pair were also noted for singing at funerals and weddings and other events.

Ingham died Feb 5, 1910. Mollie died April 24, 1921.

It took Clarence Barker a while to drum up financial backing from the community to take over the Mountain Democrat as proprietor and publisher June 10, 1922. It was still being published by printer Will Upton.

Clarence’s sons Robert and Stanley took over as publishers May 11, 1950. On Oct. 15, 1964, McNaughton family representative Don Hancock took over as publisher of the Mountain Democrat. The Barker family had owned the paper 42 years.

That final and longest family ownership of the paper is the

McNaughton family, now going on 59 years of family corporate ownership.

I met the original F.F. McNaughton, who looked to expand in Northern California from Pekin, Ill., by buying some California weeklies. I also met his son Dean McNaughton and more frequently met with F.F.’s namesake Foy McNaughton, especially when hard times hit newspapers and again when our building on Broadway was leased to Tractor Supply.

Richard Esposito has been publisher of the Mountain Democrat now going on 14 years. He sees Foy a lot more than I ever did, especially since he also became COO of the family newspaper business.

• • •

To return to the district attorneys, at this point District Attorney Vern Pierson has been in office 16 years.

The longest serving DA was Henry Lyons, who served 23 years, 1927-50. Sue Lyons, one of Henry’s decedents, n See raffety page A5