“Think Long” is Thinking Differently than others About Taxes
While the governor and others are pushing for an increase in the income tax as a solution to the state’s financial problems, Think Long Committee participants at a PPIC forum in San Francisco last week stuck to the committee’s plan for tax reform: a tax on services. Think Long chairman and benefactor, Nicolas Berggruen, committee […]
If Proportional Representation Is Good Enough for GOP Presidential Race, Why Not California?
I’ve made the argument again and again here that the California Republican Party should embrace election reform that includes proportional representation. And I’ve got no takers – only a lot of polite criticism. Some think proportional representation is weird and European. Some Republicans seem to think election reform is a trick. Maybe they’re feeling burned […]
Time to Let the Sun Shine on Air Board’s Shady Accounting Practices
There’s an old saying in politics: “Sunshine is the best disinfectant.” Unfortunately, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) has been operating under cover of dense fog for several years now when it comes to accounting for millions of dollars in “administrative fees” it spent on managing AB 32, the state’s global warming law. To date, […]
Prop 29 Will Help California’s Economy
The California Cancer Research Act, Proposition 29 on June’s ballot, will provide a positive jolt to California’s economy. Why? Because the $1 cigarette tax increase, combined with 20 cents allocated to reinvigorating California’s anti-smoking program, will help so many people quit smoking that they’ll spend a billion dollars less a year on cigarettes. And $800 […]
Vranich Report: 254 Companies Left California in 2011
Crossposted on Orange County Register In 2011, 254 California companies moved some or all of their work and jobs out of state, 26% more than in 2010, according to Irvine business consultant Joe Vranich who has been tracking these departures since 2009. Twenty-eight of these companies were in Orange County. Seven of them moved or […]