Local Assemblymen Awarded Key Chairs

With the Republicans now securely in charge of the Assembly, Assemblyman Nao Takasugi (R-Oxnard) on Thursday was named chairman of the Taxation and Revenue Committee and Assemblyman Brooks Firestone (R-Los Olivos) chairman of the committee on Higher Education.

Takasugi said he is looking forward to pushing policies that will grant relief to taxpayers, including Gov. Pete Wilson’s recently proposed 15% state income tax cut over three years.

“We hope to get deeply into the governor’s proposed 15% tax cut,” Takasugi said. “I’ll be pushing for it, steering it along. That is the prerogative of the chairman, to steer things along or bottle them up.”

Takasugi said he is also interested in examining the flat-tax proposals being raised in Congress and how they would affect California.

With his new chairmanship, Firestone said he will try to provide a high-quality education at colleges and universities to an expanding population--with limited state dollars.

“The issues are excellence in education and accessibility and trying to stick to the master plan in an era of tight budgets,” said Firestone, whose district includes Ventura, Ojai and Santa Paula.

In addition to expanded duties and power, the new chairmen also get some perquisites.

Both assemblymen on Tuesday will move into larger, more centrally located offices reserved for committee chairmen. Takasugi and Firestone also will each add three additional staff members to focus on the work of their committees.