Chris Emami wrote last week on this blog about Sharon Quirk-Silva’s lack of support and mentioned my letter to the editor in the Orange County Register.  If you missed it, here’s my letter again:

Mayor Sharon Quirk-Silva, a Democrat, complained about “partisan gridlock” in Sacramento [“Assembly race called key to state power balance,” Local, May 21]. What partisan gridlock? She is a Democrat. Her party controls the entire California state government.

The governor, attorney general, controller and all other statewide officers are Democrats. Nearly two-thirds of the seats in each house of the Legislature are held by Democrats: 52 out of 80 Assembly seats and 25 out of 40 Senate seats. It doesn’t even require a two-thirds majority to pass the budget anymore, thanks to Proposition 25 (passed in 2010) allowing budgets to be passed by a simple majority.

What partisan gridlock is Quirk-Silva talking about? Every lever of power in Sacramento is controlled by Democrats.

Taxes are just about the only thing left that requires a two-thirds vote. Electing Quirk-Silva would give Democrats the two-thirds majority they need to raise taxes on the hardworking people of California. It’s clear that there is one thing Quirk-Silva means when she talks about ending the partisan gridlock: she wants to raise taxes.