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"Tesla Tourism" bill faces opposition in California

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Az_Rael

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Jan 26, 2016
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Palmdale, CA
‘Tesla tourism’ bill for factory pickups faces strong opposition in California

Maybe there is someone in Senator Leyva's district who is an owner could write her a letter?

Sen. Connie Leyva, D-Chino, said it would only benefit high-income, out-of-state residents who don’t need tax incentives. Although she supports the growth of the California electric-vehicle maker, she said, “I don’t even know if anyone in our district even owns a Tesla.”
 
‘Tesla tourism’ bill for factory pickups faces strong opposition in California

Maybe there is someone in Senator Leyva's district who is an owner could write her a letter?

Sen. Connie Leyva, D-Chino, said it would only benefit high-income, out-of-state residents who don’t need tax incentives. Although she supports the growth of the California electric-vehicle maker, she said, “I don’t even know if anyone in our district even owns a Tesla.”

I hope so. She seems to be _completely_ misunderstanding the purpose of the bill.

But it's really out-of-state residents, particularly those in neighboring states, who are the ones who should explain how this bill would encourage them to do a "new car vacation", rather than take local delivery.
 
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I think the Tesla tourism bill would bring more money into the state even if the state isn't collecting sales tax on the car. They aren't collecting the taxes now if the new owner decides to take delivery in their home state instead. Allowing people to pick up their cars at the factory will at minimum bring in some hotel and restaurant revenue if not some revenue for attractions around the Bay Area.

However, I doubt there are many Teslas in Chino. I believe San Bernardino County is one of the poorest in the US. Chino Hills probably has a number of Teslas, but I don't think that's her district. This is an election year and she probably doesn't want to be have her votes interpreted as helping the rich in any way.
 
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I wrote a long post on her facebook page, basically pointing out that I'd still be paying sales tax so there's no "benefit to me", but that I'd end up spending a weeks worth of tourist dollars in California, so there'd definitely be a benefit to her state.

However, it popped up a "will be reviewed" message and I can no longer see it. Wish I'd taken a screenshot before I clicked on the post button. I'll be surprised if they approve it as the "Visitor Posts" section is empty.
 
State Sen. Leyva's district includes the city of Fontana, which likely has at least a handful of Tesla owners. Still, I agree that, overall, it's a relatively low income district. In addition, that district happens to contain no small number of likely-influential, large car dealers. So fighting "tax breaks for high-income, out-of-state residents" buying Teslas probably plays well there, even if it is disingenuous spin. On the other hand, given the high interest in the Model 3, that may change in time, as awareness of an upcoming, "affordable" Tesla grows.
 
Well that's some interesting gerrymandering job.

It looks like her district is where I grew up. I have some family that lives in her district, I'll have to check and see if they can send her a note.
 
However, I doubt there are many Teslas in Chino. I believe San Bernardino County is one of the poorest in the US. Chino Hills probably has a number of Teslas, but I don't think that's her district. This is an election year and she probably doesn't want to be have her votes interpreted as helping the rich in any way.
This map isn't the most up to date but it does look like there are at least two Teslas in Chino Hills.
 
Her logic certainly seems poorly thought out: out of state Tesla owners taking delivery elsewhere do not pay CA sales tax. Exempting them from the tax if delivery is accepted in Fremont encourages out of state dollars into locals' coffers.

Cannot hurt.
 
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Dear Hotel and Restaurant Owners in the Freemont area:

You probably need to let Connie Leyva know that her shortsighted, knee-jerk thinking is denying you potential tourism dollars from a pool of 400,000+ Tesla purchasers in the upcoming three or four years. All in the name of retaining tax revenues from the three non-resident purchasers who are deciding to pay CA sales tax each year.
 
I dropped the senator the following via Email Senator Leyva | Senator Connie M. Leyva


In regards to the "Tesla Tourism" bill that you're against - I put money down sight-unseen on a Tesla Model 3. As it stands today, California gets $0 from me as I'll be paying the sales tax to Texas.

If that bill passes I'll *still* be paying sales tax to Texas, so there's no "benefit to me" as you erroneously seem to believe.

However, what would change, is I'd take the opportunity to tour the Tesla facility and spend a week sightseeing in California before driving back home to Houston.

So in short, your stance against this bill is a stance against my tourism dollars being spent in California. It has nothing to do with the sales tax on the car, you wouldn't have gotten that anyway.
 
The dumb factor here leaves me nearly speechless.

I'll just repeat SpiceWare's comment, since he nailed it:
In regards to the "Tesla Tourism" bill that you're against - I <bought a used Tesla Roadster, have been a Model X reservation holder, and am now a Model 3 reservation holder>. As it stands today, California gets $0 from me as I'll be paying <Oregon Sales Tax on the purchase, which happens to be 0%, when I register car(s) in Oregon>.

If that bill passes I'll *still* be paying sales tax to <Oregon>, so there's no "benefit to me" as you erroneously seem to believe.

However, what would change, is I'd take the opportunity to tour the Tesla facility and spend a week sightseeing in California before driving back home to <Portland>. <Sidenote - I've driven my Roadster along Hwy 1, and it's a magical place to visit. I'd sure love to visit it again as part of picking up a new Tesla>.

So in short, your stance against this bill is a stance against my tourism dollars being spent in California. It has nothing to do with the sales tax on the car, you wouldn't have gotten that anyway.


Thanks SpiceWare!
 
I tried to submit an email to the myopic senator but her web form rejected my submission because I'm not in her district. Even when I provided an address that I thought was in her district the form said such was not the case.

I'm not inclined to spend more than five minutes of my time trying to reason with her.

As some are fond of saying, "you can't fix stupid."
 
That's odd - the screen showed something along the lines of "will get back to you" after I submitted mine. Wonder if she's been inundated with comments and had them enable an address filter on the site.
I just followed the link and left her a message - and even though I'm in California, I'm outside her district. I received a confirmation that the message had been received.
 
I think the Tesla tourism bill would bring more money into the state even if the state isn't collecting sales tax on the car. They aren't collecting the taxes now if the new owner decides to take delivery in their home state instead. Allowing people to pick up their cars at the factory will at minimum bring in some hotel and restaurant revenue if not some revenue for attractions around the Bay Area.

However, I doubt there are many Teslas in Chino. I believe San Bernardino County is one of the poorest in the US. Chino Hills probably has a number of Teslas, but I don't think that's her district. This is an election year and she probably doesn't want to be have her votes interpreted as helping the rich in any way.
San Bernardino County is huge, the largest county in the US. It also includes Ontario, Upland and more than two million people. The county is not even close to poor, much less poorest in US. I'm only sorry that I no longer can vote in Fontana, where my family lived when I was born. Maybe the honorable senator is too close to Needles in her psychology.:rolleyes:
 
‘Tesla tourism’ bill for factory pickups faces strong opposition in California

Maybe there is someone in Senator Leyva's district who is an owner could write her a letter?

Sen. Connie Leyva, D-Chino, said it would only benefit high-income, out-of-state residents who don’t need tax incentives. Although she supports the growth of the California electric-vehicle maker, she said, “I don’t even know if anyone in our district even owns a Tesla.”

Thanks for posting this - I saw it yesterday and was still disgusted this morning when the subject came up over coffee. No wonder California (or at least a large part thereof) manages to be broke, both frequently and often.

These politicians are just awful. If a private business managed its budget the way these hacks do, that private business's senior management would be in jail. Or homeless. Or both.

Hopefully, the legislators in question are the recipients of an education with regard to tourism versus (sales) taxation. But I doubt it. Too easy to pretend that cars now dipping into the $40Ks (see this very forum's For Sale section) are only for the rich. And as far as new cars go, it's just amazing that the legislators (and I use that term euphemistically) would scapegoat Tesla rather than to think of the businesses that would benefit from tourism. Let's see - when I went to the factory, two taxi drivers, a porter, a bartender, Amtrak, the Marriott across from the factory, the shuttle driver, the shopping center down the street after delivery, and some lunch place all got my dollars - and that was before I even left the county for a very nice drive down the coast (where another hotel and a brewery also got some tourism dollars).

But it's easier to just pick on an American business/car manufacturer instead.
 
Well that's some interesting gerrymandering job.

It looks like her district is where I grew up. I have some family that lives in her district, I'll have to check and see if they can send her a note.

For the last redraw of districts California adopted the system Washington State has used since 2000 that has a non-partisan commission that puts together district boundaries and their instructions are that districts need to be drawn along the most reasonable geographic and jurisdiction boundaries possible. So if possible they should use city and county boundaries for districts.

Before this was done, there were some funky boundaries like part of Bakersfield's Congressional was included in the district in Pasadena connected by a thin strip through the mountains. That's gone now.

Washington's system has been a success, though it has made some safe Republican districts that didn't exist before, but that's how the population of the state is distributed. (There were always safe Democratic districts in and around Seattle.)

The dumb factor here leaves me nearly speechless.

I'll just repeat SpiceWare's comment, since he nailed it:
In regards to the "Tesla Tourism" bill that you're against - I <bought a used Tesla Roadster, have been a Model X reservation holder, and am now a Model 3 reservation holder>. As it stands today, California gets $0 from me as I'll be paying <Oregon Sales Tax on the purchase, which happens to be 0%, when I register car(s) in Oregon>.

If that bill passes I'll *still* be paying sales tax to <Oregon>, so there's no "benefit to me" as you erroneously seem to believe.

However, what would change, is I'd take the opportunity to tour the Tesla facility and spend a week sightseeing in California before driving back home to <Portland>. <Sidenote - I've driven my Roadster along Hwy 1, and it's a magical place to visit. I'd sure love to visit it again as part of picking up a new Tesla>.

So in short, your stance against this bill is a stance against my tourism dollars being spent in California. It has nothing to do with the sales tax on the car, you wouldn't have gotten that anyway.

Thanks SpiceWare!

Last time I was in Oregon (which I can see from my house...), there was no sales tax. Now here on the Washington side of the River it's a different story. I'm looking at paying %8.2 plus the $150 a year EV fee. I would have considered picking up my car in California if they weren't going to tax me for it. I work for a company in the Bay Area and I have family further south in Central California.

San Bernardino County is huge, the largest county in the US. It also includes Ontario, Upland and more than two million people. The county is not even close to poor, much less poorest in US. I'm only sorry that I no longer can vote in Fontana, where my family lived when I was born. Maybe the honorable senator is too close to Needles in her psychology.:rolleyes:

My bad, I was thinking of San Bernardino City, which is very poor. Though San Bernardino County is the largest geographically in the US. (Alaska has some larger burroughs, but those aren't counted as counties.)

I'm no expert on Chino, I've only been to the airport. (Going to the air museums there when I was a kid beat Disneyland by a wide margin.) I was down there for a thing in Ontario a few years back and took a trip to Chino airport while I was close. It may have been the neighborhood around the hotel we were in, but Ontario struck me as very poor and while Chino was a little better, it seemed lower middle class. Not the sort of place I would expect to see a lot of Teslas (though this was before the Model S was for sale).