The Green Valley Civic Association, Poway Chamber of Commerce, COX, and Poway Kiwanis partnered on two Virtual Candidates Forums to find out where candidates stand on important issues that will affect you and your community.
Q: Describe your personal/professional background
June Cutter: Mother / Attorney / Small Business Owner
Q: Why are you seeking this office?
June Cutter: I am running to make sure our community has a real voice in Sacramento, so that the interests of hard working Californians are placed above special interests. I want to be a champion for the middle class and ensure that future generations have the opportunity to succeed and build a beautiful future here in my home state.
Q: Do you support the California High Speed Rail project?
June Cutter: No.
Q: Proposition 15 – often referred to as Split Roll – would amend the California State Constitution to require most commercial properties to be taxed based on their market value, rather than a property's purchase price (as it has been done under Prop. 13 since 1978). Do you support or oppose Prop 15 and why?
June Cutter: I strongly oppose Proposition 15 aka “Split Roll.” Since its passage in 1978, Proposition 13 has kept our property tax rates reasonable and that has been a fundamental component in keeping California affordable for the vast majority of its residents. Split Roll is dangerous because it sets a precedent - once you remove Prop 13 protections from commercial properties, it becomes a lot easier to remove those same protections from residential properties, which will be detrimental to homeowners. Moreover, increasing commercial property taxes will impact small businesses and consumers - when commercial property taxes rise, those taxes are passed along to tenants; when rental costs rise, prices must be increased for consumers. By increasing the cost of living across the board, Proposition 15’s most detrimental impact will be on California’s hard working middle class. Lastly, I do not support tax increases because I believe that California’s state government does not have a revenue problem; it has a spending problem. Instead of raising taxes, we need to hold our government accountable for the manner in which it spends the astronomical amount of taxes it already collects.
Q: What are your thoughts on repealing Assembly Bill 5, requiring “gig” workers to be classified as employees?
June Cutter: I support a full repeal of AB-5. As an employment attorney by trade, I have carefully examined AB-5 and understand the in’s and out’s of why it is bad law. AB-5 is detrimental to both businesses and the workforce. It is a job killing piece of legislation that disproportionately impacts working mothers, disabled adults, and senior citizens seeking supplemental income. In essence, they have taken a sledgehammer to a purported problem that could have been solved with a scalpel, as demonstrated by the dozens of industry carve-outs they have subsequently legislated. Exemption from an onerous law should not be based upon which industries can afford the best lobbyists. AB-5 is a prime example of the disaster that ensues when special interests control our state legislature.