SACRAMENTO – Today, Assemblywoman Diane Dixon (R-Newport Beach) was officially sworn into the California Legislature at the historic State Capitol building.
“I am honored to represent the great people of the newly created Assembly District 72,” said Dixon, who knows first-hand the importance of good governance after a 40 year career in business, followed by almost a decade of service in local government. “I look forward to making them proud by bringing common-sense conservative values to Sacramento.”
The State Assembly officially gaveled into the 2023/24 Legislative Session. Keeping her campaign promise, Dixon immediately introduced two key policy measures to help Californians with high inflation and public safety.
“Without regard to the impact of its actions on real people, the supermajority in Sacramento is passing policies that raise taxes and increase the cost of living, making everything high and out of reach for the average family. We need to address inflation now and help protect people on a fixed income who are feeling the high cost of living in California, especially during this holiday season.” Dixon continued.
Assembly Bill XXX will address affordability by creating a safety valve to protect motorists from gas tax hikes when the price at the pump remains higher than the national average. Specifically, it allows the Governor to issue a proclamation that suspends the annual gas tax increase upon finding that higher gas taxes would impose an undue burden on low-income and middle class families. Last year, the State Legislature had the opportunity to provide relief to consumers by pausing gas tax increases. When they did not act, the tax increased by 5.6%, further tightening people’s wallets. The average family that drives 200 miles each week has seen their gasoline costs increase significantly in 2022. One of the biggest gaps between California and the rest of the country, was in the first week of October when the average price of a gallon of gas in the state was a whopping $2.61 higher than the national average.
To address rising crime rates, Dixon introduced Assembly Bill XXX to bring back public safety to our communities. It will add much needed transparency to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation’s (CDCR) significantly expanded regulations on early release credit-earning for incarcerated individuals. This will help the public to better understand how CDCR is using its discretion under Proposition 57. When an inmate serves a fraction of the sentence imposed by the judge, the public is entitled to know why that is the case. This proposal will increase accountability by providing the public access to additional information about how these calculations are made.
These policies are part of this year’s Assembly Republican California Promise legislative package. Together, these bills will help Californians feel more secure in their communities.
Assemblywoman Diane Dixon, R-Newport Beach, is a pragmatic businesswoman and former Mayor, who represents the 72nd Assembly District in the California Legislature, which includes Seal Beach, Huntington Beach, Newport Beach, Laguna Beach, Aliso Viejo, Laguna Hills, Laguna Woods and Lake Forest.
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