Assembly Member Frank Bigelow Responds to Lack of Funding for California Fairgrounds in Newly Passed State Budget

Budget Spends More on Costly Programs, Undercuts Rural California

 

SACRAMENTO – Assembly Member Frank Bigelow, R-O’Neals issued the following statement in regards to his disappointment in the lack of funding for California’s fairgrounds in the newly passed state budget:

 

“Earlier this week, we voted on a budget that does little to revitalize the economy in rural Califorina,” Bigelow said.

 

“Despite strong support from a bipartisan group of my colleagues in both the Senate and the Assembly, funding for California’s 76 fairgrounds located in every county in California was left out of the state budget. More than 30 million people visit California fairgrounds annually and their funding is absolutely essential to their future economic viability,” Bigelow said.

 

“I represent nine different fairgrounds throughout my sprawling district and each and every one of them are key economic drivers to their respective communities. Providing no funding for any of these facilities while increasing spending on costly state programs is absolutely unacceptable,” Bigelow concluded.

 

Statement by Assemblyman Bigelow on Bipartisan Passage of Comprehensive Water Bond Legislation

SACRAMENTO – Assemblyman Frank Bigelow, R-O’Neals, the vice chair of the Assembly Committee on Water, Parks and Wildlife, today issued the following statement after the committee passed comprehensive water bond legislation, Assembly Bill 2043, that he co-authored with Assembly Republican Leader Connie Conway, of Tulare and Assembly Bill 2686 that he jointly authored with Assemblyman Henry Perea (D-Fresno), Assemblyman Adam Gray (D-Merced) and Assemblyman Rudy Salas (D-Bakersfield.)

Water, Parks, and Wildlife Committee Vice Chair Bigelow Responds to Governor’s Signing of Drought Legislation

 

SACRAMENTO – Assembly Water, Parks and Wildlife Committee Vice Chair Frank Bigelow, R-O’Neals, today issued the following statement in response to Governor Brown signing drought legislation approved this week by the Legislature:

 

“I appreciate that the Legislature, and now the Governor through his signature today, have taken swift action to bring some relief to Californians who have been hit hardest by the drought.  In my district, farmers are struggling to make ends meet, many ag workers have lost their jobs, and small business owners – especially the hotels, restaurants and shops that rely on tourism – have lost income as a result of the drought.

 

 

Assemblymember Frank Bigelow responds to Gov 14/15 budget plan

Assemblyman Bigelow Responds to
Release of Governor Brown’s 2014-15 State Budget Plan

 

SACRAMENTO – Assembly Appropriations Committee Vice Chair Frank Bigelow, R-O’Neals, issued the following statement today in response to the release of Governor Jerry Brown’s state budget plan for the 2014-15 fiscal year:

 

“Governor Brown struck the right tone in his budget proposal by continuing to call for fiscal discipline in how we spend the people’s hard-earned tax dollars.  As the new vice chair of the Assembly Appropriations Committee, one of my guiding principles is that we must never spend more than the state takes in each year. 

 

“But I was disappointed to see caution thrown out the window with the proposal to spend cap-and-trade dollars to prop up the high speed rail mess.  I fear this is setting the stage to ultimately saddle our children and grandchildren with tens of billions of dollars in unfunded high speed rail costs, which is unconscionable.

 

Assembly Member Bigelow’s Livestock Theft Legislation Clears Senate Policy Hurdle

 SACRAMENTO – Assembly Member Frank Bigelow, R-O’Neals, presented his bill in front of the Senate Committee on Public Safety today, where it passed with unanimous, bipartisan support.   

 

“Today, we took another step forward in ensuring that criminals are properly punished when they are convicted of livestock theft,” Bigelow said. “AB 924 is a reasonable and common sense solution to the ever growing problem of livestock theft in California.”

 

Murphys business receives Small Business of the Year award from Assemblyman Bigelow

 

Courtesy photo

Assemblyman Bigelow with the 5th Assembly District Small Business of the Year, Gateway Press from Murphys, California.

Bigelow Continues to Fight Fire Tax - press release

SACRAMENTO – Assemblyman Frank Bigelow (R-O’Neals) continues to fight for rural Californians by advocating for full repeal of the State Responsibility Area Fire Fee (tax). Assemblyman Bigelow issued the following statement in regards to his continued effort on behalf of rural property owners: 

 

            “Recently, you may have received notices in the mail from the California Board of Equalization informing you that you owe the state a fee to pay for fire prevention and safety services." 

"Although proponents say the fee is for fire protection, it really amounts to nothing more than a 2011 state budget gimmick. The burden of this fee (tax) falls on property owners in State Responsibility Areas – residents primarily living in rural and unincorporated parts of California."

"That is why repealing the fire tax is one of my top priorities in Sacramento and the reason I am coauthoring Assembly Bill 124 to do just that. Our state cannot attempt to balance the books on the backs of some Californians for the same services we all use and rely on."

 

Meet State Assemblyman Frank Bigelow

Meet State Assemblyman Frank Bigelow

Newly elected State Assemblyman Frank Bigelow is coming to Calaveras County on Friday, April 12th and wants to meet you and hear your concerns.  Join us at the Red Barn Museum in San Andreas at the back entrance to the Government Center on Mountain Ranch Road starting at 3:00 pm.

  

This will be an informal meet and greet reception with local wines and lemonade and cookies.  You can learn about Frank, his beliefs and concerns and share yours with him.  Please mark your calendar and plan to attend.  

Assembly Member Bigelow Honors 4-H Centennial Anniversary

SACRAMENTO – Yesterday, Assemblyman Frank Bigelow (R-O’Neals) received unanimous support for HR 12, honoring California 4-H’s Centennial Anniversary. Dedicated to preparing new leaders in both rural California and throughout the state, Assemblymember Bigelow issued the following statement upon passage of the resolution:

 

“For 100 years, the 4-H program has been providing important leadership development services to California’s youth, allowing them to pledge their heads to clearer thinking, their hearts to greater loyalty, their hands to larger service and their health to better living. Together with 4-H leadership, young people have worked to enhance the impact of their clubs, their communities, their country and their world.”

Assemblymember Frank Bigelow Introduces Livestock Theft Legislation

SACRAMENTO – Today, Assemblymember and longtime rancher Frank Bigelow (R-O’Neals) introduced AB 924, The Livestock Theft Prevention Act of 2013. Members of the California Cattlemen’s Association are pleased to sponsor and support Assembly Bill 924 to increase penalties for livestock theft. As California’s livestock owners have experienced for decades, the financial loss from animal theft can impact a family ranching operation tremendously and can mean the difference in ending up in the red or in the black on any given year.

 

“As cattle have become more valuable in recent years, we have seen the problem grow significantly.” said CCA President Tim Koopmann, a Bay Area cow-calf producer. “CCA couldn’t be more eager to throw our support behind this important legislation in hopes that the passing of this law will make criminals think twice before stealing from hardworking livestock producers. We owe a great deal of gratitude to Assemblymember Bigelow for his attention to this important matter and are proud to partner with him as the sponsor of the bill.”

 

Chamber of Commerce to host Frank Bigelow

Meet State Assemblyman Frank Bigelow

Newly elected State Assemblyman Frank Bigelow is coming to Calaveras County on Friday, April 12th and wants to meet you and hear your concerns.  Calaveras Chamber of Commerce will be holding an informal Town Hall type of meeting where you can learn about Frank, his beliefs and concerns and share yours with him.  Please save the date, we will provide details of the location and times soon.

  

Bigelow, Wieckowski Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Reduce Wildfire Threat

SACRAMENTO – A bill by Assemblymembers Frank Bigelow (R-O’Neals) and Bob Wieckowski (D-Fremont) would reduce the fuel available for devastating wildfires in California by improving forest thinning projects.  From 2005-2011 more than 832,000 acres of forest land burned in wildfires, costing the state over $1.2 billion in fire suppression costs.

 

“This bill will assist and encourage landowners to engage in forest thinning projects that reduce the threat and intensity of wildfires throughout California,” Bigelow said. “Our legislation is a responsible solution for California’s forestry industry and the environment.”

 

Assemblyman Bigelow Responds to Governor Brown's 2013 State of the State Address

SACRAMENTO – Assemblyman Frank Bigelow, R-O’Neals, today responded to Governor Jerry Brown’s 2013 State of the State Address. Bigelow indicated that he looks forward to working across party lines to make job creation a top priority in Sacramento in addition to making higher education more affordable.

 

“I stand ready to work with Governor Brown and the majority party to ensure Sacramento focuses its efforts on private sector job creation. Those efforts will result in more Californians earning a living and in turn less demand for social services,” Bigelow said. “With more Californians being put back to work Sacramento will be able to focus on core government services like education and public safety. I’m committed to making sure we put Californians back to work.”

 

Preventing Tuition Hikes, Preserving the College Dream - By, Frank Bigelow

Californians are a uniquely optimistic people and nowhere is that truer than here in the eastern part of our state. Our foothill communities are grounded in the pioneering and forward-looking spirit of the early settlers who saw California as a place of opportunity and prosperity.

But with high unemployment in many areas, uncertain government support for public schools, and skyrocketing tuition at our state colleges and universities, that optimism seems to be waning. That trend should be a signal to Sacramento that it must reprioritize investing in the futures of our children and grandchildren, without digging them deeper into debt.

Last year, the Governor asked voters to approve $50 billion in tax increases to supposedly meet those challenges, but with our economy just barely starting to recover, I still believe Proposition 30 was the wrong prescription for our state’s ills. Yet now that the taxes are law, the Governor and Legislature need to keep their commitment to voters by spending the money on what they said they would: education.