San Luis Obispo County Supervisor and business owner Katcho Achadjian is running for office because, as he says, Sacramento is out of touch with local leaders and ruling bodies throughout California.
“State government has disconnected itself from local government. We’ve become their ATM,” he said. “They’re sucking out funds without thinking of the impact.”
The 33rd District Assembly seat to which Achadjian aspires will soon be vacated by incumbent Sam Blakeslee (R-San Luis Obispo), a victim of term limits. Santa Maria City Council member Hilda Zacarias,
Santa Maria Planning Commissioner Etta Waterfield, and Paso Robles City Council member Fred Strong are also in the race.
In this current economic climate, Achadjian sees his experience in running a business—his three service stations employ 30 people—as a key qualification in his campaign.
“As a small-business owner for 32 years, my voting record has always been pro-business. I think that’s something that’s missing at the state level [in the form of] additional taxes and regulations,” he explained.
An excess of taxes and regulations, he said, are causing a downward spiral of lost revenue.
“Businesses are running out of the state—that’s our main source of income,” he said. “As a small business, I suffer from taxes and regulations. If I were a large corporation, I could pack it in and leave, but I’m rooted in my community.”
Achadjian has had personal experience with excessive regulation—gas stations are, he said, one of the most heavily regulated businesses in the state. Then there are times when regulations are passed without the input of industry.
“A couple years back, the legislature said pumps should have only one nozzle. I asked ‘why?’ and was told it’s because one nozzle will put less emissions in the air,” he said. “Even though only one person at a time ever uses a pump, I still ended up having to spend over $100,000 to meet the regulations. It did absolutely no good.”
Achadjian, a Lebanese immigrant born to Armenian parents, has been married for 25 years and has two children; his son is a graduate of George Washington University and his daughter is a student at UC Berkeley.
A firm believer in the value of an education, Achadjian said the outpouring of high-tech jobs from the state to countries like India and China is a result of state interference in the use of local funds.
“I believe where the state has failed is restricting the money to local districts—they’re not able to use the money as they see fit,” he said. “It’s either been wasted in areas where they don’t need to spend, or they’ve shortchanged themselves in areas where they should be spending, like teachers.”
The solution?
“I will empower the local districts, tell them, ‘This is your share, you’ll spend it as you see fit,” Achadjian explained.
What about Proposition 13, the 1978 ballot measure that capped property taxes and moved school funding from the local to the state level?
“I wouldn’t touch Prop. 13 with a 10-foot pole,” he said. “That is to say, I wouldn’t go near it because I’m satisfied with it. If you re-appraise current properties, the value goes up and we would put a lot of elderly folks, who otherwise could not afford the taxes, out of their homes. No changes on 13.”
As a pro-business legislator, Achadjian said he would also take into account environmental concerns. While unabashedly pro-property rights—a stand reflected by his vote against a recent ag-land events ordinance in San Luis Obispo County—he also said a balance can be achieved.
“We inherited this land from our ancestors, and we have to be very careful how we move forward,” he said. “I will support property rights, but we have to be sure we’re not damaging the environment to the point there’s no recovery.”
Achadjian has served on the San Luis County Board of Supervisors since 1998, and is a member of the California Coastal Commission. He’s also served on the Air Pollution Control District Board and the San Luis Obispo County Farm Bureau, among other groups.
For more information about Achadjian’s run for the Assembly, visit katchoforassembly.org.
Contact Staff Writer Nicholas Walter at nwalter@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Oct 22-29, 2009.