The Top Two Primary is Coming – Part 2
Last Monday I wrote that as many as 34 of the contested races in the June Open Primary could lead to a same party runoff in November: 8 in Congress, 4 in the state Senate, and as many as 22 in the state Assembly. (I have since added one additional assembly race, bringing the total […]
Governor’s Initiative Benefits from — and Can Be Undercut by — Education Issue
A first glance at the PPIC poll on education gives some hope to the governor for his proposed ballot measure. However, there are indications in the poll that the governor could be facing a rough road ahead to pass his initiative. The poll shows likely voters supporting the governor’s income tax/sales tax increase plan 54% […]
New California Taxes Pay for Pensions, Not Schools
Crossposted on Bloomberg Most Californians would be surprised to learn that 100 percent of education’s share of the tax increase proposed by Governor Jerry Brown will go to pensions instead of classrooms. But that would be no surprise to longtime observers of the California State Teachers’ Retirement System, which administers teacher pensions. Here’s why: After retirement, […]
Is This a Horror Movie? No, It’s L.A.
If you own commercial property in Los Angeles, you might think there’s been some tragic mistake and somehow you ended up owning the Cabin in the Woods. Just like the nefarious forces in the movie, local governments across the L.A. area suddenly are in command. They’re telling landlords who they can and cannot rent to. […]