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Jerome Horton to Be Appointed to the Board of Equalization
By Chris Emami | 07/16/09 | 11:05 PM EDT | 3 Comments
I had heard the rumor that Democrat Jerome Horton has been named as the Governators choice to replace Judy Chu on the Board of Equalization. Judy Chu recently won a seat in Congress after Hilda Solis was appointed by Barack Obama to be the Secretary of Labor. I was able to confirm this rumor after checking Capitol Alert www.sacbee.com/static/weblogs/capitolalertlatest/023961.html. Jerome Horton could be best described as a very moderate Democrat who I would compare to Lou Correa in terms of center-left.
I am going to be really honest in that I would have loved to have seen a Republican win this seat, but I realize that this seat holds a huge registration advantage for Democrats. So after some thought I have to say that I am not too dissapointed with this appointment as it brings the Board of Equalization further to the right as Jerome Horton appears to be the type of person who will work with Republicans on issues. Had a Republican been appointed it would have probably been held by Republicans for two years and then lost. Jerome Horton will likely be able to hold this seat for a decade.
The biggest hurdle that still exists is being confirmed by the legislature, and we all have seen their ability to agree on issues.
TAGS: Jerome Horton, Judy Chu, Hilda Solis, Board of Equalization
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3 Comments | Related Topics »Los Angeles County (CA) | CALIFORNIA | Orange County (CA) | Placer County (CA) | Sacramento County (CA) | Ventura County (CA)
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Comments
Thanks for the post Chris.
Looks like another opportunity to put some sane taxation policies in place is lost by our "Post Partisan" Governor.
Craig,
I have to disagree, only because there would be no way to get a Republican into this seat. Even if Arnold appointed one, they would not likely be able to get him or her confirmed by the legislature. On top of that even if we got a RINO in there they would be out of office in 18 months.
Jerome Horton being a moderate is much better than the current wacky liberal that is temporarily holding the seat. Even though Jerome Horton is a Democrat I feel that he will bring the Board of Equalization to the right and he can win re-election when that time comes.
No Republican would have been confirmed by the current legislature for the seat. The Governor had two choices: (1) let Judy's Deputy Board member vote on every SBE matter until the seat was up for election in 18 mos. (like what happened when Carole Migden was elected to the State Senate and when Brad Sherman was elected to Congress); or, (2) name a moderate, somewhat business-friendly Dem to the seat.
Compared to option No. 1, where someone of Judy's choosing would vote in her place for the next 18 mos without any public input whatsoever, Mr. Horton will make an excellent SBE member. His appointment will be subject to Legislative review and he has both the practical inside experience as a SBE tax auditor and former staffer to an elected Board member.
Craig's lament aside, this is actually good news for those in the taxpayer community.
MN
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