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HomeMy WebLinkAboutLetter from Mike Thomas - RCRC Menchaca, Clarissa Subject: FW: Requesting your Board of Supervisors to take action Attachments: Letter to RCRC and BOS's 3-11-17.pdf; Representation Ratio in California - For Supervisors,pdf, Your County Resolution (1).docx From: Mike Thomas [mailto:mhtho.ma.s.@[ps.net] Sent:Wednesday, March 15, 2017 5:42 PM To: Connelly, Bill<BCon nellv@buttecounty.net>; Wahl, Larry< >; Kirk, Maureen <M Kirk@ buttecountV.net>; Lambert, Steve<SLambert@buttecounty,n, >;Teeter, Doug<DTeeter@butIgLgunty.,net> Cc:Clerk of the Board <cle rkofthe board@ b utte,co u.n,ty.net> Subject: Requesting your Board of Supervisors to take action Dear Supervisors: My name is Mike Thomas, I am a resident of El Dorado County. I attended the RCRC executive committee meeting, on 2-15-17, and introduced myself to those in attendance. Our rural counties have been abused and it is getting worse every year. .A, quote from C. J. Hadley of Range Magazine: "Regulation without Representation is Tyranny." We are badly underrepresented and over regulated, but there is a remedy for this and your board of supervisors can immediately help. I am contacting the RCRC and every supervisor in the 35 rural counties in California. Please review the 3 attachments, I appreciate your response at your earliest convenience. Thank you. Mike Thomas Plaintiff with CfFR v, State of California 530-626-1969 Cc All 35 Boards of Supervisors, Clerks of the Board, and the RCRC I March 11, 2017 Dear Supervisor: The following request is from the Citizens for Fair Representation (CfFR), a grass roots organization, seeking fair representation in the State Legislature for the rural counties of California. CfFR has evolved through the ongoing efforts of the State of Jefferson Formation. For more than three years, tens of thousands of complaints were presented to the California State Legislatures concerning the lack of representation in the rural counties. All of these requests were completely ignored. This has left the CfFR no alternative but to engage in a legal remedy to gain fair/equal representation. CfFR's goal is not to form a new State. CfFR's total focus is the acquisition of fair representation for the citizens of our rural counties. The CfFR has retained highly respected and qualified attorneys who are preparing to file a lawsuit with the Eastern Federal Court in Sacramento. CfFR will be suing the State of California for lack of representation and dilution of vote. It is predicted that this case will go to the U.S. Supreme Court, feeling that whoever loses their case in the lower court, will appeal, automatically sending the case to the U.S. Supreme Court. Our attorneys have a successful track record with the U.S. Supreme Court, and they are very optimistic about this case. CfFR has facts that cannot be disputed. Rural counties in California have been harmed, due to lack of representation. Our representation in California is far worse than any other State in the Union. See Attachment Titled: Representation Ratio in California CfFR will reveal a previous U.S. Supreme Court ruling that sets precedence for allowing the States to elect at least one representative in the assembly for each county, regardless of population. There are also current Supreme Court Justices who have indicated they want to revisit the Supreme Court ruling on: "One person, One Vote." This will lead our attorneys to the argument for equal representation in the State Senate for every county. CfFR is reaching out to the Rural County Representatives of California(RCRC) and all boards of supervisors in the 35 rural counties to adopt a Resolution. This Resolution is the best chance to get fair representation for our rural counties. CfFR has a very strong case that could be even stronger with your participation. This is an opportunity for all 35 boards of supervisors to unite and join our list of plaintiffs in this lawsuit. There shall be no financial obligations for any counties that become plaintiffs. Please see the last sentence in The Attached Resolution. We all have the right,without fear of punishment or reprisals,to petition the California ,State government for a redress of grievances. A right protected by both the California and U.S. Constitution. There are already city councils and boards of supervisors who have agreed to join CfFR as plaintiffs in this lawsuit. If the lawsuit is filed prior to your board taking action, this is not a problem, as additional plaintiffs can be added as the case proceeds. CfFR is requesting each county board to attain a majority vote of their supervisors to adopt the attached Resolution, on one of their future meeting agendas, hopefully in the near future. Should your board vote to join CfFR's lists of plaintiff's, please sign, date and return the attached Resolution by email to Mike Thomas mhthomasAJPs.net. Also, please send a signed original copy to: Citizens for Fair Representation, P.O. Box 751, Palo Cedro, CA 96073. Please feel free to contact me if you need more information or would like to discuss our request further. Best Regards, H4a T Mike Thomas Plaintiff with CfFR v. State of California 530-626-1969 Cc All 35 Boards of Supervisors, Clerks of the Board, and the RCRC California - 80 in Assembly(since 1854) & 40 in Senate (since 1862) x California is the most populated State and has the worse representation in the Country. * New Hampshire ranks as the 41 st most populated State and has the best representation. Please see the facts below California Representation Per Person in the Assembly (House) and Senate # of Assembly Assembly # of Senator Senator Reps. Year Population same as House Reps. per Representatives per person Representatives person 1850 1 92,597 36 1860 379,994 5 1 7 560,247 040 1880 864,694 80 40 –7TZ— 1,213,398 80 40 1900 1,485,053 80 4 1910 2,377,5 —TgT6— 3,426,861 40 1 3 5,677,251 so 40 1940 7,3 7 46 1950 10,586,223 1 DO 13,717,204 4 7 1 71, 4 1980 23,667,764 80 40 1990 29,795,021 4 33,871,648 40 2U-IF- 37,253,956 2017 39,849,872 1 80 1 1 40 COMPARE CALIFORNIA TO NEW HAMPSHIRE New Hampshire's Assembly is called the House of Representatives. This is their Representation Per Person in the House and Senate # of House House # of Senator Senator Reps. Year Population Reps. per Representatives Representatives per person person 2017 1 1,335,832 1 400 How does New Hampshire afford 424 State representatives? x Their salary is $100 per year, with no per diem, which has not changed since 1889. *NH representatives, with far better representation, cost the taxpayers $42,400/year x Each representative in California currently makes $110,113 + $176 per diem in session. CA representatives, averaging 111 days in session, cost the taxpayers$15.6 million/year. California Population in the beginning Number in the California State Senate and Assembly(1849 -Present) BOARD OF SUPERVISORS OF(COUNTYNAME) COUNTY, STATE OF CALIFORNIA RESOLUTION OF(COUNTYNAME) COUNTY DEMANDING AN INCREASE IN REPRESENTATION AND ADVOCATING THAT EACH COUNTY BE GIVEN AT LEAST ONE MEMBER IN THE CALIFORNIA STATE SENATE AND ASSEMBLY RESOLUTION WHEREAS, the State of California originally had 16 Senators and 36 Assembly members for the initial population of about 92,000 people in California and it appears that each County had at least one representative in the Legislature at the formation of California, and the number of representatives increased as the population increased until 1862, when the population was about at 400,000people, at whichpoint the ratio was frozen at 40 Senators and 80 Assembly Members, and, WHEREAS, there have been several calls, petition drives and ballot initiatives, for a Federal Model of representation in the State of California, as was previously in place until 1964 under Proposition 28 passed by the California Voters in 1926, and; WHEREAS, The spirit of Proposition 28 was intended to allow the rural counties to have voice in the legislature and to strike a balance between rural and urban counties from which emerged the most productive period of state governance in California State History between 1926 and 1964, and; WHEREAS, the ratio of legislators to citizens in California is the worst of any state in the nation, and is in fact, almost 300 percent worse than state number 49, and that many counties today do not even have their own representative and must share representatives with other counties, which sometimes have competing interests, and the system thereby constantly degrades the counties'influence and access to the political process, and as the populations grow the access to representation will diminish until finally we have no recourse to influence adverse decisions in the state legislator which endanger the public health and safety of our citizens and; WHEREAS, the California Constitution in Article 11, Section 1 defines a county as a legal subdivision of the state and since it is one of the founding principles of our nation that none should be taxed without representation, and since (CountyName) County is taxed as a legal subdivision of the state we demand equal representation in the California Senate equal to that of every other county, and we demand representation in the California Assembly at a rate of one Assemblyman for each thirty thousand people in order that the people of this county are represented when taxes are raised, and; NOW, THEREFORE, BE .IT RESOLVED that the (CountyName) County Board of Supervisors will hereby demand that the Secretary of State hold immediate hearings to determine the extent to which harm has been caused to underrepresented Counties of California and that he in turn demands the California Legislature immediately begin to increase representation so that each and every county of California have adequate representation in both houses of the legislature, to ensure that the public health and safety of the citizens of (CountyName) County be preserved and their access to representation be enhanced, and; BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the (CountyName) County Board of Supervisors will join the litigation as a plaintiff, with the Citizens for Fair Representation, in a case against the California Secretary of State for lack of representation and dilution of vote to ensure compliance with the previous section, and (CountyName) County understands that it will not be required to provide funding for case nor will (CountyName) County Counsel be required to adjudicate or provide assistance during the case. Present Ayes Noes Board Clerk Board Chair Date