Who will decide the November mid-term elections? If you believe AARP and the program conducted in Los Angeles by AARP and Politico yesterday, the deciders will be seniors. If you believe Tom Steyer and the millions he is spending to increase voter registration and get out the vote it will be millennials. Generation Change, dedicated […]
With the announcement by supporters that enough signatures were gathered to qualify for the 2020 ballot a ‘split roll’ measure that would raise property taxes on commercial property, the business community issued a condemnation of the effort and reasons why it is unnecessary. But the response that should be monitored is not the words but […]
In an unusual move in the world of California’s direct democracy, the California Association of Realtors (C.A.R.) filed a new initiative for the 2020 ballot to achieve a goal similar to the initiative they already qualified for 2018. One conclusion: polling must be weak on Proposition 5, the measure on the November 2018 ballot. Proposition […]
That special DMV office in the capitol accessible to elected officials, capitol staffers and insiders reminds me of a Prohibition era speakeasy. Go up to the unmarked door with a peephole and utter a password– “Jerry sent me,” seems appropriate—and you get to avoid long lines at the DMV. Much news has been generated over […]
In the post-Jerry Brown era, how will the desire of many legislators to raise taxes be met? This issue must be considered when looking at the California Chamber of Commerce’s list of Job Killer bills, which includes seven measures that would, if they became law, either directly raise taxes or make it easier to raise […]
That slow moving sloth at the DMV counter in the movie ZOOTOPIA was funny to movie goers but those who wait in a California DMV office for six, seven and even eight hours to take care of business are not laughing. A solution to the long lines was offered by the head of the DMV […]
Assemblyman Marc Levine plans to make proposals to help newspapers that are experiencing economic difficulties in the digital age. He should weigh his proposals carefully for while government should not interfere with the core democratic value of press freedom, neither should it sponsor the press putting a necessarily skeptical press in the hands of government […]
One of the major issues facing the returning legislature will be influenced by the wildfires that currently are consuming too much of California. The legislature is set to determine the extent of liability for utility companies when the company equipment is responsible for some fires. While Gov. Jerry Brown tries to find a diplomatic balance […]
Seemingly, the most popular elected official at the Los Angeles County Business Federation’s (BizFed) annual Freshman Policymakers Reception was someone who has been in political office for nearly 42 years. Measured by the number of members of the business organization who asked for a picture with her, Congresswoman Maxine Waters was the star of the […]
The Sacramento City Council vote to place a tax increase on the November ballot is representative of what we’ll see around the state in many localities: a call for more taxes to maintain basic services when in reality the money is needed to meet pension obligations. In one sense the argument that the money is […]
