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Thursday, Mar 28, 2024
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New Majority Sits Out Prop. 26 Fight

Tom Tucker wants to make a few things very clear:

The New Majority Commitee, he insists, is not for higher taxes. Nor is the group staking out a position in the abortion debate, other than to express disapproval of candidates who make social issues like abortion major themes of their campaigns. Ditto for gun control. And it doesn’t have a position on the El Toro airport.

Tom Fuentes, chairman of the OC Republican Party, has made a particular issue of The Irvine Company’s involvement in the New Majority, noting the company’s support over the years of such tax increases as the Measure M transportation sales tax, the failed Measure R bankruptcy bailout sales tax and certain school bond issues.

And the Irvine Co. is among the strongest supporters of Proposition 26, which if it passes on the March ballot, would make it easier to raise property taxes by lowering the threshold for local school bonds to a simple majority from the state Constitutional requirement of two-thirds approval.

Fuentes has charged that the New Majority is after higher taxes so as to help developers get a free ride from taxpayers.

Indeed, while members of the New Majority are near-unanimous in favoring reductions in the state capital gains tax, they differ over taxes earmarked for infrastructure and education.

So, Tucker said, the group doesn’t have a position on Prop. 26.

“It’s not a perfect world. Different members are for different things,” he said. “We’re not going to take a position on that. Half of our members would say no way.”

Nor does the group have a position on a proposed commercial airport at El Toro, the county’s most controversial issue. Tucker noted the New Majority includes an outspoken person on each side of the issue.

“We have no position on the airport. That’s not what we’re about. Steve Myers has been the head guy against the airport and George Argyros in favor of it. We did that on purpose. Our members can agree to disagree on certain issues,” said Tucker. “We are a pro-business group.”

And Tucker said New Majority members have differing views about abortion, but agree that social issues should not be on the GOP’s front burner.

He noted his own financial support of George W. Bush, despite Bush’s pro-life stance. Tucker said that is because he feels assured that Bush would not interject his presidency into the divisive issue.

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