SAN DIEGO, Oct. 1, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Steve Danon has publicly questioned Dave Roberts' commitment to reforming San Diego County's government. Danon points to Roberts' record on the Solana Beach City Council as justification for challenging Roberts' reform platform.
"It's one thing to talk the talk," Danon said. "It's another to walk the walk. Roberts had plenty of opportunities to implement the reforms he speaks of today while on the Solana Beach Council. Instead, not only did he fail to implement reform, but he consistently voted against the spirit of reform.
"Most notably, Roberts has recently come out in favor of abolishing the 'car allowance' allotted for Supervisors—an idea I proposed more than a year ago. However, Roberts voted for a $3,000 a year 'car allowance' that is added to his pension for retirement benefits and a 20% pay raise while on the Solana Beach City Council.
"And to pay for all of this, Dave Roberts voted 21 times to raise or create 237 taxes or fees. When it comes to talking about reform, Dave Roberts has a credibility gap that's wider than Interstate 5," Danon concluded.
In October of 2007, Roberts voted to approve a $3,000 per-year car allowance for Solana Beach City Councilmembers that is added to his pension for retirement benefits. In 2008, he voted for a pay raise of 20%, which is the maximum allowed for general law cities in the state of California.
In 2010, Solana Beach declared "a fiscal state of emergency" and Dave Robert's solution was to create a business "gross receipts tax" to balance their budget. Roberts also signed the ballot argument in favor of creating the tax.
Danon, meanwhile, has been calling for not only the elimination of the $12,000-per-year vehicle car allowance for County Supervisors that is added to their pension for retirement benefits, but has also proposed abolishing the $5 million dollar "slush fund" used to purchase political patronage and favors.
Danon also stands for the establishment of a regional Ethics Commission to hold elected officials accountable, and he opposes raising taxes to balance the County's budget.
David W. Roberts is Vice President of Government Relations for Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMMS) and was their registered lobbyist in Washington, DC. In addition, he is a Solana Beach Councilman and candidate for San Diego County Supervisor in District 3.
SOURCE Paid for by Steve Danon for Supervisor - 2012