Ledger-Dispatch

By Bethany A. Monk (bmonk@ledger-dispatch.com) =

Assemblyman Alan Nakanishi (R-Lodi) = co-hosted a=20 modestly attended town hall meeting in Jackson on = Monday.

Photo by: Bethany A. = Monk

From left, District 3 Supervisor Ted = Novelli,=20 District 10 Assemblyman Alan Nakanishi and District 5 Supervisor = Brian=20 Oneto visited with people after Monday's town hall meeting and = answered=20 their questions on state and county issues.

Photo by: Bethany A.=20 Monk
It wasn't a packed forum, but the 30 = or so=20 residents who attended Monday afternoon's town hall meeting - featuring=20 Assemblyman Alan Nakanishi (R-Lodi), who represents District 10, and = District 5=20 Supervisor Brian Oneto - asked questions and listened intently regarding = issues=20 facing the county and state.

Also in attendance was Jack = Sieglock, a=20 Republican from San Joaquin County whose name, along with Alyson Huber, = a=20 Democrat from El Dorado Hills, will be on the November ballot for = Assembly=20 District 10.

One audience member asked Nakanishi if there was any = sentiment in Sacramento for "solving problems nobody is willing to face" = in=20 regard to the state's budget.

"It's possible this year," = Nakanishi said,=20 "to pass the budget without raising taxes."

"I want it to be = positive,"=20 he said of the state's finalized budget, which will be released this = fall, "but=20 it's a dysfunctional system, and it's hard to catch up. ... Hopefully = the=20 housing market will pick up; if the economy picks up, we'll have more = jobs. I'm=20 optimistic."

Nakanishi, who reiterated the importance of not = raising=20 taxes, predicted that the half-cent sales tax increase would pass. If = approved=20 by Amador voters in November, it will grant compensation for fire = protection=20 staffing in the county.

"I would think if you live in Amador = County, this=20 would be a very important issue," he said, adding that he, like the = Amador=20 County Board of Supervisors, would have "voted for the people to make = the=20 (final) decision."

Supervisors approved the request, proposed by = the=20 Amador Fire Protection District, during the June 17 board meeting. =

When=20 asked about education cuts, Nakanishi told the Ledger Dispatch that the = state is=20 actually "spending more this year than last year" on education and that = "it's=20 not really a 10 percent cut," if one looks closely at the proposed=20 budget.

He said residents in area counties are most concerned = about gas=20 prices and foreclosures.

Sieglock said he was enjoying his time = in Amador=20 County and was glad he attended the town hall meeting.

"I like = learning=20 about the problems and issues (facing Amador residents)," Sieglock said = after=20 the meeting. Earlier in the day he met with Jon Colburn, mayor of = Plymouth, and=20 was on his way to meet with county supervisors following the meeting. "I = want to=20 know what's important" to people in the county, he said.

Oneto = said he=20 was disappointed that more people hadn't attended the event.

"I = wish more=20 people were here," Oneto said in a brief interview with the Ledger = Dispatch=20 after the meeting. "I'd like to see it triple."

Nakanishi = represents=20 California's 10th Assembly District, which encompasses all or parts of = Amador,=20 El Dorado, Sacramento and San Joaquin counties.

Bethany A. = Monk