Ammiano’s War on Prop. 13
Well, at least he admitted it.
In a press conference yesterday, surrounded by his tax and spend friends, Assemblyman Tom Ammiano said he intends his bill to increase property taxes on California’s struggling businesses (AB 2492) as the a first step toward completely destroying Proposition 13.
Specifically, he reportedly said of the popular tax protection law, "If it takes an incremental approach, so be it … my tendency is to want to nuke it."
Of course if Assemblyman Ammiano wins his aggressive war on California taxpayers, the state will find itself in a much more devastating situation than we are even in now. His latest salvo in the form of AB 2492 would result in billions in new taxes on Californians – billions he and other politicians can use to fund their insatiable habit of creating huge new programs the state can’t afford.
Speaker Perez Impressive in Los Angeles
It’s hard not to be sour about politicians these days, but I couldn’t help but be impressed while interviewing Assembly Speaker John A. Pérez last Friday night at a Zocalo Public Square event in Los Angeles.
The speaker’s sharp wit (to the point of irreverence) is perfect for such forums. He made the clearest case I’ve heard for measures to support manufacturing, particularly the sales tax exemption for equipment used in green manufacturing.
He also made an impassioned case for getting rid of the 2/3 supermajority for budget bills. A majority vote budget, he argued, would make the legislature, both majority and minority parties, more accountable. And it would reduce delays that hurt the state’s credit rating – and thus cost California scarce dollars. When I asked him why reform proposals in the legislature wouldn’t eliminate the supermajority for taxes, he said bluntly that the politics were too difficult.
Michael Milken Offers CA Small Business Advice at Governor’s Conference
The message that echoed through the meeting hall in Oakland at the second Governor’s Conference on Small Business and Entrepreneurship was that entrepreneurs and small business would lead the state out of its fiscal woes.
Small business is the engine of the economy, creates jobs, and will produce an economy to help overcome California’s difficult fiscal situation, many speakers said.
Governor Schwarzenegger, sitting in on a mid-day panel discussion on California’s economic recovery, asserted that, "Green tech is where the action is." Despite the recession, the governor said California continued to create jobs because of its emphasis on green technology.
Party of “No” Better than Yes at Any Cost
I noticed during the recent healthcare debate, as with many political
debates, when Democrats run out of things to argue about they often
issue their ultimate insult: "Republicans are the party of ‘No.’"
They say that like it’s a bad thing.
What they fail to understand is that in politics – as in life – there is value in saying, "No."
Trial Lawyer Lobby Day Equals No Legal Reform
Cross posted at www.cala.com
Are you surprised?
I guess I should not be, but there is still a little
of me that thought some legislators would get it. Clearly, they do not.
As the trial lawyers swooped down on Sacramento for their annual right
of passage, I truly thought there might be a glimmer of hope for legal reform,
but not this year and, quite frankly, probably not for a while to
come.Interestingly, the Consumer Attorneys of California had scheduled
its Lobby Day on May 4, the same day that the Assembly Judiciary
Committee was meeting in Sacramento. This is an important policy
committee that deals with all legislation related to legal reform.