Is there an energy tax in our future?
Most of the attention on the Tax Commission is rightly focused on the package advanced by the chairman, Gerry Parsky: a slight flattening of the personal income tax and replacement of the corporate tax and much of the state sales tax with a new “net receipts” tax on business. Taxpayers, policy wonks and businesses are sifting for every scrap of guidance on what this new tax might look like, and its effects on California business and the economy.
While the debate over these changes will be vigorous, buried among the documents is a proposal that may represent the thin edge of a very long wedge that attempts to marry tax reform with environmental regulatory policy.
Constitutional Convention Concern: Educating Delegates
If delegates chosen for a constitutional convention need schooling in how California’s governance system works, how will they be educated? That question came to mind Tuesday while watching the Joint Legislative Hearing on Constitutional and Budget Reform chaired by Senator Loni Hancock.
The hearing reviewed past efforts at constitutional reform, heard about current reform proposals, particularly the efforts to promote a constitutional convention and reforms fostered by the California Forward group funded by foundations, then heard from a panel of like-minded observers of government (who appeared to agree it should be easier to pass the budget and raise taxes).
LAUSD Faces A Parent Revolution
Next week, the school board of the LA Unified School District will be voting on one of the most transformative proposals to ever come before it. The Public School Choice Resolution, authored by Yolie Flores-Aguilar, would allow outside operators- community non-profits, charter operators, and others- to submit proposals to run LAUSD schools. The competition between outside organizations and the District would ensure that every community got the best possible school, and incentivize the District to finally learn how to run great schools. Open for proposals would be the 50 new schools currently being built by the District, as well as existing schools which have already been designated by the Federal Government as failing.
This resolution has been endorsed by the LA Times, the Daily News, and LA Opinion, along with dozens of community leaders and organizations. It has the potential to harness proven and successful school models, and bring badly needed innovation to the 700,000 student LAUSD system. Unfortunately, many entrenched interests who benefit financially from the status quo have been fighting tooth and nail to stop this resolution.
Community Colleges and Job Training: The NY Times Asleep Again
The New York Times has done it again in an article last Saturday, August 15, on community colleges and job training. The article is worth noting for how clueless it is of the wide range of job training and economic development activities being undertaken by community colleges, as well as how it misses the key challenges for future community college programs.
The article, “College is Model for Retooling U.S. Workforce” by Steven Greenhouse, focuses on Sinclair Community College in downtown Dayton. Greenhouse breaks the news that Sinclair is pioneering a new model of community college involvement in job training, and especially in retraining laid-off workers. Sinclair staff work closely with local employers to design customized training. The college works with local elected officials to identify potential growth industries in technology, including aerospace research and development, and advanced materials and manufacturing—industries that Dayton is trying to attract to the region. The college reaches out to high school students who might not think of attending college, and to workers laid off from General Motors, Delphi and other auto-related industries.