REINER PLAN: TAX HIKES FOR PRESCHOOL DIRECTOR-ACTIVIST PROPOSES CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT.Byline: Harrison Harrison, town (1990 pop. 13,425), Hudson co., NE N.J., an industrial suburb on the Passaic River opposite Newark; inc. 1869. The town has several foundries. Its manufactures include plastics, paperboard, and metal products. Sheppard Sacramento Bureau SACRAMENTO - Director-activist Rob Reiner Robert "Rob" Reiner (born March 6, 1945) is an American actor, director, producer, writer, children's advocate and political activist. As an actor, Reiner first came to national prominence as Archie Bunker's and Edith Baines-Bunker's son-in-law, Michael "Meathead" Stivic, on unveiled an initiative Monday that would increase taxes on the wealthy to pay for preschool for all 4-year-olds in California California (kăl'ĭfôr`nyə), most populous state in the United States, located in the Far West; bordered by Oregon (N), Nevada and, across the Colorado River, Arizona (E), Mexico (S), and the Pacific Ocean (W). . The proposed constitutional amendment would target individuals making more than $400,000 and couples making more than $800,000 and would generate $2.3 billion a year for preschool programs. Reiner and supporters estimate that the plan would affect about 100,000 Californians whose state income tax would rise from 9.3 percent to 11 percent. Reiner called it ``a historic piece of legislation that will not only provide quality preschool experience for all 4-year-olds, but will also be the beginning of the process by which we strengthen our educational system, build a stronger economy by giving a good education to our future work force and also reduce crime.'' A taxpayers group criticized the proposal, saying residents already face high taxes and the measure would motivate the wealthy to leave California, lowering California, Lower: see Baja California, peninsula. the state's overall revenue. ``In the aggregate, California is already overtaxed,'' said Jon Coupal, president of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association helped sponsor Proposition 13, the property tax-cutting initiative in California in 1978 which slashed property taxes by fifty-seven percent and initiated a national tax revolt. It was founded by California republican Howard Jarvis. . ``We have more than enough revenue for the programs that we want. So much money is wasted on our K-12 education system that if they really wanted to provide universal preschool
Reiner plans to file the initiative this week to get approval for collecting the signatures needed to place the amendment on the June 2006 ballot. Assemblywoman as·sem·bly·wom·an n. A woman who is a member of a legislative assembly. Noun 1. assemblywoman - a woman assemblyman representative - a person who represents others Wilma Chan Wilma Chan is a politician in California, United States. Chan served as the California Assembly Majority Leader from 2002-2004, the first woman and the first Asian American to hold the position. She also served as Assembly Majority Whip from 2001-2002. Chan is a Democrat. , D-Oakland, already has filed a companion bill for legislative consideration as an alternative to going through the signature process. If approved in 2006, the measure would apply to all children born after its passage who would be eligible for preschool when they turn 4. During a transition period, the first investments would be made in lower-income areas. The entire plan would likely require the phased-in addition of some 10,000 new teachers and 10,000 new aides. In 1998, Reiner led the successful fight for Proposition 10, which added a 50-cent-per-pack tax on cigarettes to pay for early childhood development programs. He currently heads the commission that oversees those funds. Last year, Reiner advocated a measure that would have increased commercial property taxes by $6 billion to pay for a variety of educational programs, including universal preschool, teacher salaries and textbooks. He withdrew that measure before it qualified for the ballot, saying the ballot was already looking to be too crowded with new tax measures. Harrison Sheppard, (916) 446-6723 harrison.sheppard(at)dailynews.com |
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