IRVINE, Calif., Sept. 24, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Orange County Business Council (OCBC) is proud to announce Assemblyman Travis Allen, 72nd District, as 'Legislator of the Year.' OCBC took positions and advocated on behalf of dozens of state bills throughout the 2014 legislative session. Assemblyman Allen best represents the business community's key interests with a voting record 100 percent in alignment on these critical bills.
"Assemblyman Allen's stellar voting record on issues of importance to a recovering California economy and jobs creation is a clear indicator of his commitment to advancing both Orange County's economic competitiveness and business-friendly environment," said Lucy Dunn, President and CEO, OCBC.
Posted below is a summary of how the rest of Orange County's delegation ranks in order of support for OCBC positions on the 31 bills identified during OCBC's "One Voice, Two Capitols" advocacy trips in the Spring of 2014. The adjusted calculation is based upon the number of times a legislator voted with OCBC, divided by the total number of times a legislator was present for a vote.
SENATE
Bob Huff – 95.5%
Mark Wyland – 95.5%
Mimi Walters – 92%
Lou Correa – 82.4%
ASSEMBLY
Travis Allen – 100%
Diane Harkey – 94.4%
Donald Wagner – 94.1%
Curt Hagman – 93.8%
Allan Mansoor – 93.3%
Tom Daly – 73.3%
Sharon Quirk-Silva – 71.4
Two critical successes during the legislative season were the failure of SB 1017 (Oil and Gas Severance Tax) and SB 1021 (New Parcel Taxes), both of which OCBC opposed due to the negative impact on the state's recovering economy and jobs growth. SB 1017 aimed to impose a 9.5 percent severance tax in California that would raise taxes on oil and natural gas by $2 billion or more annually. SB 1021 taxes would have granted authority to more than 1,000 California school districts to impose unlimited tax increases on select property owners by allowing the imposition of non-uniform parcel taxes.Of the 31 bills tracked, 84 percent of those bills opposed by OCBC failed to pass, 60 percent of OCBC-supported bills were sent to the governor. Overall, OCBC had a success rate of 76 percent on bills advocated for throughout 2014.
Throughout the year, OCBC also leveraged its advocacy efforts by working in coordination with other groups such as Cal Chamber and the Regional Economic Association Leadership Coalition (REAL Coalition) co-chaired by Carl Guardino of Silicon Valley Leadership Group and Lucy Dunn of OCBC.
Please CLICK HERE for a list of bills tracked, and CLICK HERE for the scorecard.
About OCBC:
Orange County Business Council is the leading voice of business in Orange County, California. OCBC represents and promotes the business community, working with government and academia, to enhance Orange County's economic development and prosperity in order to preserve a high quality of life. OCBC serves member and investor businesses with nearly 250,000 employees and 2,000,000 worldwide. In providing a proactive forum for business and supporting organizations, OCBC helps assure the success of America's sixth largest county. For more information, visit www.ocbc.org.