Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Cox in Fresno: Champions Water, Backs Gas Tax Repeal
David Website Replacement
By David Taub, Senior Reporter
Published 6 years ago on
July 19, 2018

Share

John Cox blames regulations for hurting California’s efforts to build homes and roads, and store water.
During a stop in the Fresno area Wednesday (July 18), the Republican gubernatorial candidate promised that things would change if he is elected in November.
Cox, not unexpectedly, also criticized his opponent, Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, who stopped in Fresno just a day earlier.

Housing Tour

Cox started his Fresno appearance by touring a Granville Homes neighborhood in Fresno. He said that the state’s overregulation of building is causing unaffordable housing.
(Disclosure: Granville is the parent company of GV Wire.)
“Housing prices are a crisis here. The housing availability, the affordable nature of it is a real crisis,” Cox said. “It really affects the quality of life for a lot of people.”
Cox said leadership is needed to streamline regulations and bring down approval time and costs. He feels the state needs to provide more incentives to meet a housing goal of 300,000 homes a year.

Cox Talks Water on the Water

Later on Wednesday, Cox held a news conference at where Highway 180 meets the Friant-Kern Canal, north of Reedley.
“This community needs water. It needs a viable economy. Without water, this economy falters; without water, this economy doesn’t work. I’m here to solve problems. My opponent is part of the same Sacramento political class that is not addressing the needs of the Central Valley,” Cox said.
Cox wants to build more storage and supports Proposition 3, a proposed $8.9 billion bond for water infrastructure and watershed projects on the November ballot.

Gas Tax

Democratic candidate Newsom, when asked Tuesday about repealing the gas tax, warned that it would have dire consequences on road projects.
Cox disagreed.
“He’s not telling you the truth. Caltrans spends three to four times what Texas spends on building a mile of road. Instead of reforming Caltrans, instead of using the money efficiently and wisely, they raise taxes. We have more than enough money,” Cox said.
Cox predicted that such efficiencies would double the transportation agency’s output. However, he did not offer specifics.

Quick Takes

— Cox said he backs taking care of the environment, but also believes there needs to be a balance with the “forgotten Californians who depend upon farming. … and depend upon having reasonably priced gasoline to be able to get to their jobs and support their families.”
— Cox downplayed the role that President Donald Trump will play in the campaign.
“(Gavin Newsom) is going to try to make the campaign about Donald Trump. Well, Donald Trump didn’t enact a gas tax. Donald Trump didn’t create the housing crisis. Donald Trump didn’t make our schools 47th in the nation.
“Gavin Newsom has sat there for 15 years, and hasn’t said a peep as our schools have gone down in quality (and) our roads have gotten lousier and lousier. Our taxes have gone up and up. … Gavin Newsom wants to get elected governor? I’m sorry. He has not done anything to solve the problems of the state.”
— Cox said that he would leave solving immigration problems to the federal government: “I love legal immigration. I don’t want people cutting in line.”
— On Proposition 47, which reduced some felonies to misdemeanors: “I think that was misguided. It was championed by my opponent. I think we are seeing the unintended consequences now with an increase of violent crime.”
 

DON'T MISS

What to Know About Pam Bondi, Trump’s New Pick for Attorney General

DON'T MISS

North Korean Leader Says Past Diplomacy Only Confirmed US Hostility

DON'T MISS

Democrats Strike Deal to Get More Biden Judges Confirmed Before Congress Adjourns

DON'T MISS

Newsom Gaslights on Potential Gas Price Hikes in Fresno Visit

DON'T MISS

Automakers to Trump: Please Require Us to Sell Electric Vehicles

DON'T MISS

President Biden Welcomes 2024 NBA Champion Boston Celtics to White House

DON'T MISS

Ohtani Makes History With 3rd MVP, Judge Claims 2nd AL Honor

DON'T MISS

Trump Chooses Pam Bondi for Attorney General Pick After Gaetz Withdraws

DON'T MISS

Average Rate on a 30-Year Mortgage in the US Rises to Highest Level Since July

DON'T MISS

Cutting in Line? American Airlines’ New Boarding Tech Might Stop You at Now Over 100 Airports

UP NEXT

Fresno Council Lowers Speed Limits on Friant and Audubon

UP NEXT

Fresno Doctors Will Pay $2.4 Million to Settle Kickback Allegations, DOJ Says

UP NEXT

These Fresno Schools Are Unsafe and in Bad Condition. And No One Is Complaining

UP NEXT

What Will Happen to CNBC and MSNBC When They No Longer Have a Corporate Connection to NBC News?

UP NEXT

Bulldogs Stack Double-Doubles Like Burgers on a Plate to Beat Prairie View

UP NEXT

Major Storm Drops Record Rain, Downs Trees in Northern California After Devastation Further North

UP NEXT

Fresno County Men Arrested in Armed Robbery Near Sanger High, Sanger Academy

UP NEXT

Newsom Heads to Fresno, a County That Voted for Trump

UP NEXT

Conservative Professors and Students Are Beating CA Community Colleges in Court

UP NEXT

Suspect Arrested After Oakhurst Crime Spree Leaves K9 Injured

David Taub,
Senior Reporter
Curiosity drives David Taub. The award-winning journalist might be shy, but feels mighty with a recorder in his hand. He doesn't see it his job to "hold public officials accountable," but does see it to provide readers (and voters) the information needed to make intelligent choices. Taub has been honored with several writing awards from the California News Publishers Association. He's just happy to have his stories read. Joining GV Wire in 2016, Taub covers politics, government and elections, mainly in the Fresno/Clovis area. He also writes columns about local eateries (Appetite for Fresno), pro wrestling (Off the Bottom Rope), and media (Media Man). Prior to joining the online news source, Taub worked as a radio producer for KMJ and PowerTalk 96.7 in Fresno. He also worked as an assignment editor for KCOY-TV in Santa Maria, California, and KSEE-TV in Fresno. He has also worked behind the scenes for several sports broadcasts, including the NCAA basketball tournament, and the Super Bowl. When not spending time with his family, Taub loves to officially score Fresno Grizzlies games. Growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area, Taub is a die-hard Giants and 49ers fan. He graduated from the University of Michigan with dual degrees in communications and political science. Go Blue! You can contact David at 559-492-4037 or at Send an Email

Newsom Gaslights on Potential Gas Price Hikes in Fresno Visit

3 hours ago

Automakers to Trump: Please Require Us to Sell Electric Vehicles

4 hours ago

President Biden Welcomes 2024 NBA Champion Boston Celtics to White House

4 hours ago

Ohtani Makes History With 3rd MVP, Judge Claims 2nd AL Honor

4 hours ago

Trump Chooses Pam Bondi for Attorney General Pick After Gaetz Withdraws

5 hours ago

Average Rate on a 30-Year Mortgage in the US Rises to Highest Level Since July

5 hours ago

Cutting in Line? American Airlines’ New Boarding Tech Might Stop You at Now Over 100 Airports

5 hours ago

MLB Will Test Robot Umpires at 13 Spring Training Ballparks Hosting 19 Teams

5 hours ago

Death Toll in Gaza From Israel-Hamas War Passes 44,000, Palestinian Officials Say

6 hours ago

Jussie Smollett’s Conviction in 2019 Attack on Himself Is Overturned

6 hours ago

What to Know About Pam Bondi, Trump’s New Pick for Attorney General

NEW YORK — Pam Bondi, the former Florida attorney general, was chosen Thursday by Donald Trump to serve as U.S. attorney general hours after...

2 hours ago

2 hours ago

What to Know About Pam Bondi, Trump’s New Pick for Attorney General

3 hours ago

North Korean Leader Says Past Diplomacy Only Confirmed US Hostility

3 hours ago

Democrats Strike Deal to Get More Biden Judges Confirmed Before Congress Adjourns

3 hours ago

Newsom Gaslights on Potential Gas Price Hikes in Fresno Visit

President Joe Biden with Mary Barra, the chief executive of General Motors, at the Detroit Auto Show, Sept. 14, 2022. President-elect Donald Trump has promised to erase the Biden administration’s tailpipe rules designed to get carmakers to produce electric vehicles, but most U.S. automakers want to keep them. (Doug Mills/The New York Times)
4 hours ago

Automakers to Trump: Please Require Us to Sell Electric Vehicles

4 hours ago

President Biden Welcomes 2024 NBA Champion Boston Celtics to White House

4 hours ago

Ohtani Makes History With 3rd MVP, Judge Claims 2nd AL Honor

Former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, speaks before Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump arrives to speak at a campaign rally at First Horizon Coliseum, Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024, in Greensboro, NC. (AP/Alex Brandon)
5 hours ago

Trump Chooses Pam Bondi for Attorney General Pick After Gaetz Withdraws

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend