Court Decision Changes Dynamic of State Senate Races
Many of the news stories that reported on the California Supreme Court’s decision to keep the proposed state senate districts as drawn by the Citizens Redistricting Commission in place for 2012 — even though a pending referendum against them likely will qualify for the ballot — focused on the Democrats ability to secure two-thirds of […]
Gov. Brown Pitches LA Chamber for Tax Measure Support
Governor Jerry Brown returned to the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce to give a similar speech to the one he gave last year— seeking support for his tax plan. Last year, his proposal was in the legislature, this time he had an initiative to sell. However, the business people I talked to in the audience […]
Lawsuit Over Pay—How Legislators Can Lose Even if They Win
Senate Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg and Assembly Speaker John Perez took a big risk filing a lawsuit yesterday to prohibit the Controller from deciding if legislators should get paid when an unbalanced budget is passed. If they lose they will have helped establish the California State Controller as a new superpower in the political firmament. […]
Trouble for Brown’s Tax Strategy in Poll Numbers
Governor Jerry Brown’s hope of clearing the field of all other tax increase measures except his own ran into trouble with the release of the newest Public Policy Institute (PPIC) poll. The poll indicates that proposals that simply tax the rich may fair better than Brown’s plan of income and sales tax increases giving proponents […]
Come Hear Me Interview Civil Rights Lawyer Connie Rice at the Milken Institute
Civil rights attorney Connie Rice’s new book, Power Concedes Nothing, tells the story of her remarkable life involving searing issues that have faced Los Angeles. As Publishers’ Weekly Starred Review put it: “Rice, a civil rights lawyer (and cousin of Condoleezza) describes her strange and remarkable journey from prosecuting important civil rights cases and suing […]
Business Faces Taxes to Offset Unemployment Insurance Debt
While much attention is focused on Governor Jerry Brown’s initiative tax proposal to fund education and public safety, a tax increase on business is included in the governor’s newly proposed budget. Brown wants to tax business on a per employee basis to make initial down payments in the debt created by the state’s Unemployment Insurance […]
Cheers and Jeers for the Governor’s State of the State Address
In Governor Jerry Brown’s State of the State speech he told Californians, “In this time of uncertainty, prudence and paying down debt is the best policy.” Yet, while he followed the form on prudence when it came to the hot topic of pensions, he went off the rails, so to speak, when he came to […]
On the Tax Initiative Front: One Down, More to Go?
The Think Long Committee has decided to pull its tax reform initiative plan for more study instead of proceeding to a ballot initiative this year. Think Long made a splash on the California political scene by amassing a list of household names to support creative and government-altering reforms, which included restructuring the tax system at […]
Initiatives Weapon of Choice in Policy Wars
Jerry Brown’s concern that California is facing a war of all against all is moving closer to reality. I believed that Brown would have the ability to convince allies to drop their tax initiatives but as of now he is making little progress. The Courage Campaign and California Teachers Federation are holding firm to their […]
Fourth Down for a Train Wreck
In modern professional football, when a team makes a play in which the ruling on the field favors them, even though they may not have completed a pass or recovered a fumble successfully, the players try to get off the next play before the official’s ruling is challenged and the play is reviewed. The High […]