Prop 91 NO – The goal of this measure – making it more difficult for state politicians to divert the sales tax on gasoline and other transportation funds for non-transportation purposes – is the right one, but this measure is no longer needed. As this measure was being qualified for the ballot, the governor and legislators crafted Proposition 1A, to achieve the same purpose, and 77% of voters approved it in November 2006. Because of the passage of Proposition 1A, hundreds of millions of dollars from the sales tax on gasoline are going to local communities to repair roads and fund public transit.  If Proposition 91 were to pass, it would make funding for public transit less stable. It would also create additional interest costs to the state’s General Fund by requiring that a loan from the transportation fund be paid back in 2017 rather than 2016. Let’s give Proposition 1A a few years to work and then amend it if it’s not sufficiently protecting our transportation funds.

Assemblyman Ted Gaines, R-Roseville, has been appointed to the Assembly Republican Budget Reform Task Force, a new group created by the minority GOP in the state Assembly.

“I am looking forward to playing a significant role in reforming California’s budget system,” Gaines said in a press release. “The Legislature is faced with tough budget choices this year, and we must reject new spending to get our state’s finances in order. At my small business, when times are tough, we must cut excess spending to balance our finances, and that is what California must do as well.”

The task force will study options like giving governors the power to make mid-year cuts during an economic downturn, going to a two-year budget cycle where the first year of a legislative session focuses on the budget while the second year is spent on other legislative issues and requiring setting aside significant sums into a budget reserve every year.

Gaines is a former Placer County Supervisor and briefly considered running for the 4th Congressional District seat, being vacated by John Doolittle this year.

Kevin Hanley

The “Cap to Cap” April lobbying junket sponsored by the Sacramento Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce was again a point of heated debate at the Auburn City Council on Monday night.

After deciding that the Regional Waste Water Treatment Plant should be at the top of the list for any Auburn representative to lobby for in Washington, D.C., the council then debated whether they should send anyone at all.

Last year when the issue came up, Councilmembers Bob Snyder, Kevin Hanley and Keith Nesbitt voted against approving funds for the trip, even though fellow Councilman Mike Holmes was already slated to attend, with the Air Quality Control Board footing a portion of the bill. Bridget Powers was Holmes’ only backer at the time.

Valentine’s Day is a big day for restaurants, no doubt about it. It’s an evening where couples are expected, almost required, to treat themselves to a decadent meal (with wine – and dessert) and splurge, in every sense of the word. Usually you’ll find something “love-inspiring” on the menu – passion fruit, oysters, caviar, pomegranate seeds, and the like.

Do you know what my trouble is with Valentine’s Day restaurant fare? It’s too good. I can remember one evening a few years ago when we went out to dinner and every single thing that came out to us was so amazing, so delicious, and so over the top that I ate every single bite in front of me. When you’re dealing with a multi course menu, well ... nothing puts quite a damper on romance like a tummy ache.

Mike Holmes

There’ll be no second run for Congress by Auburn’s Mike Holmes.

The veteran Auburn City Council member and former mayor has decided not to file for the Republican nomination in California’s 4th Congressional District.

Holmes opposed Rep. John Doolittle in the 2006 primary election and captured about one-third of all the votes cast. Doolittle spent upward of $1 million for his primary victory while Holmes’s campaign cost about $100,000.

Said Holmes: “Events in recent days have resulted in an open seat with Rep. Doolittle announcing he will not run for a 10th term. I ran in the 2006 primary to give Republicans a choice — a candidate who would better represent the people of the 4th District in Washington, DC.”

Holmes declined to endorse any candidate “at this time,” but did say, “I am confident that the 4th District will have fresh, new representation come November and that our communities will be better off because of it. I wish Congressman Doolittle the best in his future endeavors and wish those running in the primary the very best of luck.”

Filing for offices on the June primary ballot commences February 11. T. Rico Oller of Calaveras County, a former state senator and assemblyman, says he will file his GOP candidacy as will Eric Egland of Roseville, an Air Force Reserve officer.

The only announced candidate for the Democratic nomination is Charlie Brown of Roseville, who lost to Doolittle in the 2006 general election by three percentage points.

To: Applicants to represent the people of the 4th Congressional District

Fr: The Voters

Re: Hiring a Citizen Statesman to represent us in Washington D.C.

With the retirement of Congressman Doolittle, we appreciate that you, as a candidate, have applied to be our federal representative.  We will be examining your record of public service and accomplishments carefully.  Given the poor performance of the U.S. Congress in recent years, we have upgraded our criteria for who should be hired for the job.  Over the next several months and before we vote for candidates in the June primary and the November general election, we will be closely monitoring your actions on four items:

Letter targeting Kirby was personal, unfair 

Dear Editor,

I was saddened to read William “Bill” T. Sweigert’s comments in the Letters to the Editor section of the Sentinel (Jan. 11, 2008 edition). Saddened because the Sentinel would even consider publishing such a personal affront based upon one writer’s opinion,  and saddened too because I can only image how his letter impacted my friend Bill Kirby.

You see, I too know Dr. Bill Kirby “up close and personal.” Bill’s the guy you see at virtually every Rotary function cooking, cleaning or pouring. Bill’s the guy you find flying humanitarian missions to Mexico with the Auburn chapter of the Flying Doctors. Bill’s the guy who makes certain that his many family and friends, most of whom are not even his patients, are always afforded the best of care should they find themselves at Auburn Faith. Bill’s the guy who every holiday season hosts a Christmas party for “Peace for Families (the battered women’s shelter) and Bill’s the guy who often digs deep into his own pocket in order to improve the quality of life of others – many of whom he’s never met.

When I go to meet my maker, I’d much rather be remembered as a great humanitarian than a person with political savvy.

I too knew Bill Sweigert  “up close and personal” and always enjoyed his warmth and charm. He was a good man and a good lawyer. May he rest in peace.

Denny Freidig, Auburn

Kristina Fuelling, a 27-year-old Granite Bay woman, was due in court in Auburn at mid-week to answer a charge that she murdered her eight-day-old infant girl last Sunday morning.

Placer County sheriff’s investigators are alleging that the woman drowned little Faith Evelyn Fuelling in a bathroom sink of the home she and her husband Nicholas Fuelling rented on Stillwater Court. The husband has not been charged.

Public records showed that the Fuellings have experienced financial problems in recent years, including two home foreclosures.

After her arrest Sunday afternoon, investigators tested Kristina Fuelling for possible drug and alcohol use. Results of those tests were undisclosed Tuesday.

The woman, who is jailed in Auburn without bail, is expected to undergo a psychiatric examination.