Assemblyman Logue looking to move state forward

Entering his final term in the Assembly, Dan Logue said he's happy the state's deficit is far smaller than when he took office, and economic indicators for California are on the upswing.

But with sizable Democratic majorities in both chambers, health care reform looming and other potential issues, Logue, R-Loma Rica, said he's not counting on 2013 as a quiet year in Sacramento. "I can say, yes, I do breathe easier," Logue said. "But we're not out of the woods yet."

Logue, who ran a real estate company and was a Yuba County supervisor before his 2008 election to the Assembly, said he's concerned November's elections, which gave Democrats a two-thirds-plus majority, will make the temptation high to pass more taxes. He said talk has already started about changes to Proposition 13, the 1978 property tax reform measure.

The new year will also see how the state implements federal health care reform, or Obamacare, as many call it. Logue, vice chair for the Assembly Health Committee, said he has concerns about how that happens.

"We've got to make sure seniors get treated the same as everyone else," he said, explaining rationing health care treatment to control costs would fall on the state's older residents. "I want to make sure people are not waiting in long lines."

But if there are challenges, there are also opportunities, Logue said. He believes he will get bipartisan support for a bill he's introduced to compress timelines for certain majors in college to allow someone to graduate with a bachelor's degree in 18 months for about $10,000.

In particular, the bill would aim at professions such as engineering, nursing and computing where there's a demand for workers and the state often finds them in other states or countries, he said.

Other areas where Republicans and Democrats might find cooperation include reigning in regulations on small business and reforming the California Environmental Quality Act, according to Logue.

After waiving CEQA requirements for such projects as high-speed rail, he said, Democrats have begun to understand how much environmental review can hinder economic development.

Logue said he's also encouraged by newcomers to Sacramento, particularly Democrats who got elected on a pro-business platform. "When you're in Sacramento, you're elected to represent everybody," Logue said. "We all need to do our best to move the state forward."