When I think about the community we live in, I assume that EVERYONE in Santa Clarita, regardless of political affiliation, wants a clean, safe, affordable and prosperous state.
With this assumption in mind, it is a head scratcher to me how anyone can support the Democratic policies being advanced in Sacramento by the Democratic supermajority.
From the looks of things, it appears Sacramento lawmakers want us all to leave this state for greener pastures, as evidenced by the bills they were supposed to vote on this week to further bleed hard-working constituents and business owners to death.
Here is how they want to take more of our paycheck:
• PROPERTY TAX (9 bills): Democrats have introduced nine separate bills that would increase your property tax in some way, with the worst being a costly property transfer tax that would give state and local government 5% of the value of every home sold — on top of the capital gains tax. Yep, you read that right. You will be required to make a forced offering of 5% of your money to the government because they said so. Worse, Democrats are working with labor union bosses to put a repeal of Proposition 13 on the ballot in 2026. So guess what — that cap on your property taxes could vanish and you would be on the hook for even MORE property taxes in the future.
• PAYROLL TAX (Newsom Annual Budget): Newsom has included a job-killing hike in the payroll tax — costing struggling small businesses $1 billion more per year in payroll costs. Employers will simply stop hiring more personnel and turn to automations, meaning fewer jobs in our state. Think the self-help kiosks in McDonald’s and expect more of that.
• VACANCY TAX (Senate Bill 789): After forcing businesses to close with excessive taxes and regulations, and COVID closure mandates, Democrats now want to impose a tax on vacant offices and retail stores that used to house all the businesses they destroyed. Talk about adding insult to injury!
• SOCIAL MEDIA TAX (Assembly Bill 796): This week Democrats will vote on a bill to impose a tax on the social media platforms you currently get to use for free. Expect that tax to be passed on to users of these platforms. Are you willing to pay to post pictures of your dog “Spot”? I doubt it.
• INCOME TAX (AB 1428): California already has the highest income taxes of any state — but this bill would increase it to a whopping 13.8% (not including local and federal taxes!)
• MILEAGE TAX (AB 1421): Newsom proposes to track every driver’s mileage and charge them 6-9 cents per every mile they drive. That is the equivalent of an 80-cent-per-gallon hike in the gas tax. The typical California driver will be forced to pay $900-$1,200 a year in higher taxes just to drive on poorly maintained freeways they already paid for with the original gas and sales tax. For those of you who commute to downtown, Pasadena or anywhere outside Santa Clarita Valley, open up the checkbook!
So I ask — when is enough enough? Are the Democrat voters willing to support their leaders in Sacramento taxing them into abject poverty? Why aren’t our Democrat neighbors rising up against their wallets being raided? Too often, political identity trumps (no pun intended) policy logic.
What we are seeing is Sacramento resisting reasonable reforms and restrictions and LOWERING taxes, not because they disagree on substance, but because supporting DOGE-like reforms would be echoing the opposition calling for such action and relief.
When Sacramento policy makers refuse to question or refuse tax hikes to avoid sounding or looking like a Republican, it’s no longer about fiscal policy — it’s about partisan optics. Some Democrat lawmakers have even reached the point where even hinting at tax moderation is considered treason.
I have lots of amazing friends I love and cherish who align with the Democratic Party and I wonder when they finally be fed up with the pinching of their wallets such that they actually stand up against some of the policies and proposals of their party.
I have to assume they care about their own financial security and futures, so perhaps they are blissfully unaware of these tax proposals. It is absolutely critical for all people in this community to pay attention to what is going on in Sacramento and more specifically, how your representatives are voting (or not voting) with your money.
If you have any left.
Denise Lite is a Santa Clarita resident. “Right Here, Right Now” appears Saturdays and rotates among local Republicans.
