Amador County – A special election Tuesday, Jan. 4 will determine the successor to the late State Senator Dave Cox in District 1.

The candidates both spoke with TSPN recently about the race. Republican Ted Gaines, District 4 State Assemblyman, said his experience as a small business owner is a key qualifier, and balancing a business budget and having to let someone go are critical, especially during very tough economic times.

Ken Cooley, a Democrat and Mayor of Rancho Cordova, pointed to his “strong background in local government,” and would bring “the skill set to make the institution work for the state and also the district.”

Gaines said the only state budget he has supported was Schwarzenegger’s May budget revise, and he made a commitment to voters to not increase their taxes.

“We’ve got to be very clear in terms of what a government can and cannot do for us in a time of very limited resources,” Gaines said, “and we ought to be eliminating some of these programs that we simply can not afford.”

He said he spoke with Gov. Elect Brown about his proposal to look at $10 billion in cuts, and another $10 billion to $15 billion in tax increases or fees. He said Brown “wasn’t real clear what that would include,” but wants the changes in place by June. Gaines said: “My thinking is that that fails,” and pointed out the statewide failure of the extension of tax increases, which lost by votes in all 58 counties.

Cooley said he support’s Gov. Brown’s “taxes without voter approval.” He said the Legislative office is much bigger than contemporary legislators recognize, with the power to “assert and engage in active oversight of state government,” either in committee, or informally, “in consultation with their peers, which is what I would do.”

Cooley said he spent the first dozen years of his career, 1977-1991 “working in the Legislature when it was the best in the nation.” He was personal staff to a member, and worked as chief counsel for a committee on savings and loan and insurance matters.

The State Senate District 1 includes all of Amador, Alpine, Calaveras, El Dorado, Lassen, Modoc, Plumas, Sierra and Mono counties. It also includes Roseville, Auburn and Colfax in Placer County, and Truckee in Nevada County.

District 1 also includes Sacramento County cities of Fair Oaks, Folsom, Galt, Rancho Murieta, Orangevale, most of Carmichael and parts of Elk Grove, Rancho Cordova and Laguna.

Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.