Bill Language to Undermine People’s Initiative Released
SB
202 by Senator Loni Hancock designed to play games with the initiative
process to satisfy public employee unions finally shows itself just 15 hours
before the designated end of the legislative session. The bill states that any
initiative or referendum that qualifies after July 1, 2011 has to appear on a
November General Election ballot.
One argument put forth for the reason the bill exists is
that a larger turn out of voters should make decisions on initiative measures.
Funny that this motivation didn’t arise over the last four of five decades but
only now when some legislators are opposed to what is headed to the ballot by
initiative petitions.
Special Session for Overall Tax Reform is a Good Idea
In response to Governor Jerry Brown’s announcement that he reached
a deal with Assembly Democrats and a couple of Republicans to pass a tax
plan involving the single sales factor for multistate corporations and tax
reductions or incentives for personal income taxpayers and small business,
Republican Senate leader Bob Dutton made a good suggestion. Examine overall tax
reform in a special session.
Dutton did not want the complex deal to be announced at noon
on one day and be passed by both houses of the legislature the next day without
adequate time for study and debate. As Dutton put it, "There
is nothing more complex than tax reform, and trying to jam through a proposal
on the last day of session without transparency or input from the public and
tax experts is irresponsible."
Using the deal as
impetus, the idea of discussing the deal with a broader goal of looking at tax
reform is worth consideration by the governor. Many experts believe the
California tax system was built for another era. Changes could be made that
would encourage business and entrepreneurship, which in turn, would produce
revenue for the treasury.
Main Street Tax Cut Comes at the Right Time
Yesterday the Governor and a bipartisan coalition of
legislative leaders announced an agreement on the Governor’s jobs plan. The
agreement closes a tax loophole on out-of-state corporations and provides real
tax relief to small businesses in California.
Specifically, the measure will provide $1 billion in permanent income tax
relief for small business owners by cutting personal income tax, the business
tax and the minimum tax. The bill also provides a permanent sales tax reduction
on manufacturing goods for all industries. The tax relief comes from closing a
tax loophole that allows out-of-state corporations to elect their tax code and
rewards keeping jobs in other states. The loophole is a perverse piece of
policy.
The revenue-neutral proposal passed the Assembly and will be taken up by the
Senate today. It is critically important that Republican and Democrat lawmakers
come together and pass this badly-needed tax reform without delay.
Would California Tax Hike Be Rick Perry’s Fault?
If Gov. Jerry
Brown succeeds in eliminating the optional single-sales factor as the method
for calculating corporate taxes (thus raising taxes on companies with out of
state operations, and using the money for tax incentives for hiring and
manufacturing in California), he may have someone unusual to thank: Texas Gov.
Rick Perry, the Republican presidential frontrunner.
Supporters of this change in tax law
have repeatedly invoked Perry’s name – most recently at a gubernatorial press
conference on Thursday. Brown himself has said that if a single-sales-factor
only formula is good enough for Perry and Texas, it ought to be good enough for
California.
This is perfectly fair. Texas
doesn’t give companies the choice of how to calculate its taxes, as California
does. It instead uses a single-sales factor formula that, Texas officials
believe, creates more of an incentive to place facilities and jobs in
Texas.
September 11, 2001, Lest We Forget
It is said “Time heals all.” I beg to differ. The vast wounds inflicted on America and Americans just ten years ago will never completely heal. Usually, celebrations or anniversaries are happy times. Not this one! Yet, I find it important and even pertinent to who we are and who we want to become as a nation, to remember the day of September 11th, 2001.
This was a somber day in American history when more than 3,000 Americans lost their lives in the most egregious act of terrorism to ever hit the shores of our great nation. As we approach the 10th anniversary of that dark day, California remembers those who have fallen and the heroic efforts to keep this country safe from that terrorist act and from further attacks.
Death, terror, desperation, loss of those dear to us, loss of sense of security and peace of mind—none of these are pleasant memories of that day that has changed America forever. Yet, we have used and can still use these painful experiences to make us stronger and more committed to maintaining a strong nation. We have a history of building on hardships from the inception of our nation. Out of hard times such as 9/11 America became a beacon unto the world.
Union ‘Gut and Amend’ Bills Slice Open CA
It’s “gut and amend” season in the California Legislature. More like shuck and jive and obfuscate.
Last week, I received information that another bill had been gutted of its original intent, and new language added to greatly benefit labor unions. By the end of the day, two additional bills were uncovered that had also been grossly amended on behalf of labor unions.
Sure enough, three bills are all about union Project Labor Agreements: SB 922, originally authored by Sen. Gloria Negrete McLeod, D-Chino. AB 436 by Assemblyman Jose Solorio, D-Santa Ana. And SB 790 by Sen. Mark Leno, D-San Francisco, are
Why should we care?
Because PLAs inflate the cost of construction significantly, and cost taxpayers more money on public projects. Critics say that the extra funds help beef up the coffers of the highly politicized labor unions in the state.