Team Poizner Communications Director Jarrod Agen issued the following statement in response to Meg Whitman’s latest misleading ad:

“More rehashed lies from a flailing candidate trying desperately to avoid her ties to Goldman Sachs, endorsement of Barbara Boxer, and support for amnesty for illegals. Meg’s campaign has constructed the most expensive racecar in history but nobody knows how to drive it. They are veering all over the road, swerving right and left to gain traction. The simple truth is that Meg Whitman was better off $70 million dollars ago. If she can’t run her campaign, how could she run the state?”

FACT: Meg Whitman ENDORSED Al Gore, Along With Endorsing And Campaigning For Sen. Barbara Boxer:

In September Of 2000, Whitman Was Listed As A Supporter Of Vice President Gore’s Presidential Campaign. "Gore supporters already include such chief executives as Eric Schmidt of Novell, Steve Jobs of Apple Computer and Meg Whitman of eBay." (Andrew J. Glass, "Candidates Woo High-Tech World With Similar Stands," Cox News Service, 9/14/00)

• Fellow San Jose CEO Bill Coleman Listed Whitman As A Supporter Of Vice President Gore. "‘The vast majority of technology executives are in the Bush camp. There are certain people active on the other side: [Novell CEO] Eric Schmidt, [Apple CEO] Steve Jobs, and [eBay CEO] Meg Whitman. But I can’t think of any other major CEOs,’ [BEA Software CEO Bill] Coleman says." (Jennifer Jones and Bob Trott, "The Politics Of Technology," InfoWorld, 8/28/00)
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During The 2004 Elections, Whitman Endorsed And Contributed To Boxer’s Re-Election Campaign. "Meg Whitman, the 2010 GOP gubernatorial candidate already on the defensive for her embarrassingly poor voting record, once endorsed and actively supported Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer, one of the most proudly liberal politicians in California." (Carla Marinucci, "Whitman Supported GOP Nemesis Boxer In ‘04," San Francisco Chronicle, 10/3/09)

• In Addition To Contributing The Maximum $4,000 To Boxer, Whitman Served On An "Exclusive Committee Of Technology Leaders" In Favor Of Boxer’s Campaign. "Whitman not only endorsed Boxer and donated the maximum $4,000 to the junior California senator’s 2004 re-election campaign, but the former eBay CEO also served on an exclusive committee of Technology Leaders for Boxer in her re-election battle against Republican California Secretary of State Bill Jones, according to election records obtained by The Chronicle." (Carla Marinucci, "Whitman Supported GOP Nemesis Boxer In ‘04," San Francisco Chronicle, 10/3/09)

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• In An Open Letter Soliciting Support From Technology Leaders, Whitman Called Boxer A "Courageous Leader." "’Barbara Boxer is a courageous leader and friend of California’s technology industry,’ extolled the former eBay executive in a Friends of Boxer release issued in April 30, 2003. Her name was part of an open letter signed by various technology leaders." (Sandra Gonzales, "Whitman Called Democrat Boxer ‘Courageous Leader’ In 2004," The [San Jose] Mercury News, 10/3/09)

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FACT: While Lying About Poizner Coordinating With Labor Unions On Proposition 39, Meg Whitman Conveniently Ignores The Fact That Her Own Campaign Chairman Pushed For Proposition 39:

Whitman Trusted Former Gov. Pete Wilson As Chairman Of Her Campaign, Despite His Role As Honorary Chairman Of Proposition 39. "Whitman, the former chief of EBay, says in her ads that Poizner’s support of that initiative is a reason voters shouldn’t trust him. But she trusted former Gov. Pete Wilson, the honorary chairman of the Proposition 39 effort, enough to make him her campaign chairman. And she has refused to disavow Wilson’s own tax increases as governor." (Michael Rothfeld, "Poizner, Whitman Both Deploy Exaggeration In Attack Ads," Los Angeles Times, 5/10/10)

Whitman Has Lied About Coordination Between Poizner And Labor Leaders On Proposition 39. "Although Proposition 39 had some union support, Whitman exaggerates by suggesting that Poizner was coordinating with labor leaders. The measure was largely financed by Silicon Valley technology executives — Poizner was one at the time — looking to improve their employee pool through education." (Michael Rothfeld, "Poizner, Whitman Both Deploy Exaggeration In Attack Ads," Los Angeles Times, 5/10/10)

FACT: Meg Whitman Has Supported Over $112 Billion And Counting In Higher Sales Taxes On Californians:

Whitman Has Described Wilson As The Greatest California Governor In Memory, Claiming That His Tax Increases Made Sense At The Time. "At the same time, Whitman praised former Republican Gov. Pete Wilson for his role in the 1990s budget crisis. She said the tax hikes imposed by Wilson — whom she described as the greatest California governor in memory — made sense at the time, even if they would be inappropriate now." (Michael Finnegan, "Whitman Unveils Her Stands," Los Angeles Times, 2/11/09)

Gov. Wilson’s Tax Hikes Included A 1.25% Increase In The Sales Tax. "Wilson later said the package, which included a 1.25 percent sales tax increase, was a mistake." (Judy Lin, "GOP Toes Party Line  On Taxes," Sacramento Bee, 12/30/07)

NOTE: Since 1991, Gov. Pete Wilson’s Sales Tax Hikes Have Cost Californians Over $112 Billion In 2009 Dollars.

Year	Statewide Taxable Sales (thousands)	Tax Due To Wilson 1.25% Hike (thousands)	Bring Forward To 2009 Dollars	Tax Due to Wilson 1.25% Hike (thousands of 2009 dollars)
1992	$272,368,291	$3,404,604	1.54	$5,243,089.60
1993	$272,123,743	$3,401,547	1.5	$5,102,320.18
1994	$285,974,711	$3,574,684	1.46	$5,219,038.48
1995	$300,956,449	$3,761,956	1.42	$5,341,976.97
1996	$321,076,250	$4,013,453	1.38	$5,538,565.31
1997	$341,091,634	$4,263,645	1.35	$5,755,921.32
1998	$358,858,378	$4,485,730	1.33	$5,966,020.53
1999	$394,736,245	$4,934,203	1.3	$6,414,463.98
2000	$441,854,412	$5,523,180	1.26	$6,959,206.99
2001*	$441,517,560	$4,415,176	1.22	$5,386,514.23
2002	$440,950,094	$5,511,876	1.2	$6,614,251.41
2003	$460,096,468	$5,751,206	1.18	$6,786,422.90
2004	$500,076,783	$6,250,960	1.15	$7,188,603.76
2005	$536,904,428	$6,711,305	1.11	$7,449,548.94
2006	$559,652,437	$6,995,655	1.07	$7,485,351.34
2007	$561,050,149	$7,013,127	1.04	$7,293,651.94
2008*	$539,732,229	$6,746,653	1	$6,746,652.86
2009*	$453,375,072	$5,667,188	1	$5,667,188.40
Total:	$7,029,020,261	$92,426,148		$112,158,789

*The .25% sales tax imposed under Cal. Rev. and Tax Code 6051.3 was not in effect for the 2001 tax year. 
* Fourth quarter 2008 taxable sales estimated based on third quarter taxable sales. 
* 2009 taxable sales estimated based on 2008 estimates and Legislative Analyst’s Office projections. 

Sources:

(Board Of Equalization Website, www.boe.ca.gov, Accessed 12/15/09)
(Board Of Equalization Website, www.boe.ca.gov, Accessed 12/15/09)
(Board Of Equalization Website, www.boe.ca.gov, Accessed 12/15/09)
(Board Of Equalization Website, www.boe.ca.gov, Accessed 1/6/10)
(Board Of Equalization Website, www.boe.ca.gov, Accessed 1/6/10)
(Board Of Equalization Website, www.boe.ca.gov, Accessed 1/6/10)
(“California’s Fiscal Outlook,” Legislative Analyst’s Office, 11/09)
(Bureau Of Labor Statistics Website, www.bls.gov, Accessed 1/6/10)
(Board Of Equalization Website, www.boe.ca.gov, Accessed 1/6/10)

FACT: Meg Whitman Supports Public Funding Of Abortion:

Whitman Supports Public Funding Of Abortions. "Whitman said she supports abortion rights – including public funding for abortions – and believes tough gun laws like assault weapon bans and handgun control are appropriate for California." (Carla Marinucci, “Whitman Blasts Deal To Close The Budget Gap,” San Francisco Chronicle, 2/13/09)

Whitman: "As long as abortion is legal, it has to be made available to women of all means." (Carla Marinucci, “Whitman Blasts Deal To Close The Budget Gap,” San Francisco Chronicle, 2/13/09)

FlashReport’s Jon Fleischman Said Whitman Takes An "Even More Extreme Position" By Supporting Taxpayer Funded Abortions.  "Infinitely unfathomable to me, Meg Whitman takes what I consider to be an even more extreme position: that every expectant mother has the right, not only to an abortion, but to have one provided for them at taxpayer expense, if they cannot afford one.  Whitman does support some restrictions to when an abortion should be legal, which she talks about in this interview." (Jon Fleischman, "FR Interview With Meg Whitman, Part III – ‘Extreme On Abortion’," FlashReport Blog, www.flashreport.org, 10/15/09)

FACT: Poizner Has Made Significant Budget Cuts As Insurance Commissioner:

Sacramento Bee: "Whitman Misrepresents Poizner’s Department Spending Record." "Whitman’s campaign uses statistics selectively to arrive at its 14 percent number and lie about Poizner’s record. … There are two problems with Whitman’s math. She uses the wrong years for a fair comparison, and she includes spending over which Poizner had no control. … She includes all department spending, including a large chunk of money Poizner is required by law to collect and send to local district attorneys to fight insurance fraud. … Excluding parts of his budget predetermined by state law, Poizner has made significant cuts in his budget from the year he took office to the current year." (Amy Chance And Jack Chang, " Ad Watch: Whitman Misrepresents Poizner’s Department Spending Record," Sacramento Bee, 3/20/10)

FACT: Poizner Has Made Significant Budget Cuts At The Department Of Insurance. "Excluding parts of his budget predetermined by state law, Poizner has made significant cuts in his budget from the year he took office to the current year." (Amy Chance And Jack Chang, " Ad Watch: Whitman Misrepresents Poizner’s Department Spending Record," Sacramento Bee, 3/20/10)

FACT: Only Meg Whitman Opposes Across The Board Tax Cuts, Sounding More Like A Democrat By Saying That We Can’t Afford Them:

Whitman Says "We Have To Be A Grown-Up" About Not Having Across-The-Board Tax Cuts Because "We Can’t Afford That Right Now." WHITMAN: "Targeted tax relief. We need to – ultimately, I would like to do an across-the-board tax cut, but the truth is, we can’t afford that right now. And we have to be a grown-up about this. It’s easy to call for across-the-board tax cuts. It’s not happening in the near term." (Meg Whitman, Remarks At The Drucker Institute Event, Los Angeles, CA, 2/3/10)

• WHITMAN: "I say we can’t afford it right now. We cannot afford an across the board tax cut. It’s the right thing to do, but someone needs to be the adult in the room here and we cannot afford that kind of tax cut right now." (Fox News’ "Your World With Neil Cavuto," 4/13/10)

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