Re:  “Budget cuts are breaking education” (April 2):

   Assemblyman Torrico and I agree on one thing: higher education in California is in financial trouble, and something needs to be done about it.  But I’m afraid that we don’t agree on how we get to a solution.

   In San Diego County communities like National City, El Cajon and Imperial Beach, unemployment is higher than the state average, and the statewide jobless rate is almost 20% higher among Latinos than the rest of the population. Yet despite these grim realities for so many hard working families, Mr. Torrico’s bill to tax oil would destroy over 9,000 good-paying California jobs, hit low income families the hardest by driving gasoline and diesel prices higher, and cost local governments millions of dollars in property tax revenues that pay for essential community services like elementary, middle school and high school education.  

   Raising taxes, especially on our working families, is exactly the wrong thing for California to do in the middle of the worst recession we’ve seen in close to 100 years. What we need is to focus on fostering innovation and training the next generation of entrepreneurs to lead this great state. This requires a strong, financially sound, and vibrant higher education system. But to get there, we shouldn’t sacrifice good paying jobs and penalize working class families in any industry, including the energy sector.

   Instead, Democrats and Republicans must work together to promote policies that reflect the importance of job creation – like Senate Bill 71, that provides a manufacturing equipment sales tax exemption for green job creators. By growing our economy and expanding job growth, tax receipts actually grow and we can invest more in our education system.

   To get out of this recession, Californians need to stay together, not become divided.  Let’s find solutions where we all can win, and regain our rightful place as home to the world’s best public universities and community colleges.  Our families and children deserve nothing less.

Nathan Fletcher
State Assemblyman, 75th District
Representing parts of San Diego and San Diego County