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 […]
The Current Dispute Over High Speed Rail Job Numbers
Over the past two weeks, the San Jose Mercury News has raised new questions regarding the job projections associated with high speed rail in California (here and here). This questioning should be welcomed, including by the proponents of the project. Job projections are undertaken for most major infrastructure projects in California and the United States, […]
Please, Somebody Get Skelton a Comfy Chair
If you are a wise soul who gave yourself permission to ignore California news over the holidays, you may have missed the story of Christmas week: George Skelton really, really doesn’t like Gov. Jerry Brown’s chairs. Skelton was so troubled by the hardness of the benches that reporters were forced to sit on during a […]
New Tax Interpretation Aids Farm Solar Power
As an elected member of the California State Board of Equalization, I have the unique privilege of serving as a taxpayer advocate for the citizens of California. California is the only state in the nation that has an elected tax board that is directly accountable to voters. The five-member board on which I serve administers […]