Ignoring Public Sector Retirement Costs … and History

Newspapers continue to carry an array of stories on the cost of public employee retirement that chills taxpayers’ bones. The stories are constant reminders that the issue of public employee retirement costs is reaching a tipping point and must be addressed fairly by government or likely will be addressed by an angry electorate. In this […]

Like the State, Gov’s Tax Plan could be Short Revenue

The Legislative Analyst says that Governor Jerry Brown’s tax increase proposal is not going to bring in as much money as advertised. The LAO says the personal income tax increase in the initiative can’t be trusted to produce – the income tax is too volatile. Wonder what the LAO is going to say about the […]

In Brown’s Budget: A Mini “Blow Up the Boxes”

Anyone around in the early years of the Schwarzenegger Administration remembers the effort to streamline and reorganize government by, in the former governor’s famous phrase, “blow up the boxes.” You can find a mini effort to “blow up the boxes” in the budget proposal Governor Jerry Brown unveiled last week. In a budget chapter titled […]

Kim Kardashian’s Tax Rate and Yours

The Courage Campaign’s Internet ad featuring Kim Kardashian aims at the wrong target. The ad promotes raising Kardashian’s income tax rate a few points because currently her tax rate is only one-percentage point higher than the tax rate of a middle class person who earns $47,000 in taxable income. The target should be California’s exorbitant […]

The High Speed Rail Bond Vote Needs a Do-Over

That sound you heard was another one-ton weight falling on the side of the High Speed Rail scale that proclaims the project a boondoggle. The High Speed Rail Peer Review Group has recommended to the Legislature that the initial $2.7 billion in bonds not be authorized now. The High Speed Rail plan was sold to […]

Might a Grand Compromise Prevent an Initiative War?

Contrary initiatives on taxes, spending limits, pension reforms and other proposals are working their way through the qualifying process, as the new legislative session is about to start. Is there a chance that the legislature can come together on a grand compromise proposal that would undercut the initiatives from moving forward? Governor Jerry Brown would […]

Fox and Hounds Daily Black Bart Award for 2011

Fox and Hounds Daily’s Black Bart Award as Californian of the Year in Politics goes to: John Chiang. Consensus of our committee was that the state controller’s growing impact in state politics and his involvement in issues from the state budget, to workers salaries to auditing corrupt governments (think Bell) lifted his office from the […]

California Issue of the Year: The Two-thirds Vote

Most of the central action in California’s political world this year revolved around attempts to deal with the state budget crisis. Governor Jerry Brown, seeking to fulfill a campaign promise, wanted the legislature to put tax increases on the ballot. Republicans legislators balked, although some negotiated for spending and pension reforms in exchange for their […]

More Ballot Wars: The Cost of Crime and Punishment

The cost of prisons, prisoners and public safety could be a major issue on November’s ballot.   If certain initiatives qualify for the ballot, voters will have to decide between their desire for taxpayer savings within the criminal justice system and California’s traditional tough-on-crime stand. Initiatives are moving forward to change the Three Strikes law by […]

F&H Daily’s Third Annual Black Bart Award

For the past two years frequent contributors to this page Joe Mathews, John Wildermuth and I have nominated candidates for Californian of the Year in the world of politics. We name the final selection the winner of the Black Bart Award. There is no specific criteria to follow in making the selection. Each author will […]