Gathering Votes for High Speed Rail: “You Can’t Always Get What You Want”
To quote a rock and roll classic, when trying to gather votes for a statewide project you can’t always get what you want. One should expect a few snafus when a project concept begins in the mid 1990’s and takes years to get a Legislative buy-in. But, with the contorted track of progress and even […]
Field Poll Tests Budget’s “Ransom Note”
The July 4th Field Poll measured the Ransom Note Effect of the governor’s budget – pass my tax initiative or I’ll cut schools. According to Field, 72% responded negatively to the cuts. But what were the voters saying: That they would pass the tax measure to avoid the cuts or that they don’t like threats? […]
Governor Brown’s Budget Head Fake
If you fall for an opponent’s head fake in sports, you risk losing the game. The stakes are much higher for taxpayers. If they fall for the Governor’s head fake this November, the price tag could be as high as $50 billion dollars by 2019. Don’t be fooled. The Governor and Legislature have for months […]
Pension Reform Needs to Be Done Right, Not Just Right Now
Those who loudly shout that California needs pension “reform” now, now, now (“Legislature Must Go All-the-Way with Pension Reform,” Fox&Hounds, 7/3/12) illustrate exactly what is wrong with the public debate on government employees’ retirements: critics scream for quick action and work to create a hysteria, but provide no tangible solutions. Pension reform needs to be […]
New Law Exempts Cap and Trade from Open Meetings
On the afternoon the state budget was signed into law last Wednesday I received an email from a local activist informing me that hidden in a trailer bill titled SB 1018 was a provision exempting the upcoming cap and trade auction from open meeting rules. CARB formed a company called Western Climate Initiative Inc. (WCI), […]
Without Federal Funding, High Speed Rail Project May Double in Cost
Financial analysis shows state-funded rail could cost $203 billion, extra $6.5 billion in annual debt payments Today, California Common Sense (CACS) released a four-page financial analysis of the pending California High-Speed Rail (CA HSR) project. The article explains how the State – under the auspices of the California High Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) employing project […]