by Jill Castellano | inewsource.org

Carl DeMaio stood outside the San Diego County Registrar of Voters Office in April, surrounded by television cameras and boxes filled with ballot petitions. He had spent more than six months preparing for this moment.

Republican Diane Harkey stood to DeMaio’s left. She’s running for one of the most competitive congressional seats this year in a district that straddles San Diego and Orange counties. To DeMaio’s right was Rancho Santa Fe businessman John Cox, California’s Republican governor candidate.

DeMaio and his team were holding a news conference to announce their achievement: They were submitting signatures to repeal California Senate Bill 1. The law, passed last year, increased the state gas tax by 12 cents and created a vehicle registration fee to fund road repair and transportation projects.

Radio talk show host DeMaio is the force behind the gas tax repeal initiative, and his ability to rally San Diego voters and politicians to his cause has led to a statewide movement. More than one-fifth of the 963,907 signatures to put Proposition 6 on the November ballot came from San Diego County, almost eclipsing the total from the much larger Los Angeles County.

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