Redevelopment Money Leaves, But Problems Remain
There really is no such thing as a free lunch, as California continues to prove. When Gov. Jerry Brown won his battle to shut down California’s 400-plus local redevelopment agencies last year, it was hailed – most by the governor – as a glorious victory for the state, local governments and, not least, California schools. […]
Your Sacramento Decoder Ring
Every time I visit Sacramento – and I’ll be there again next week to debate election reform with Dan Schnur at the press club – I feel like I’m visiting a foreign land. The trouble is that, after a few conversations with people around the Capitol, I realize that we don’t speak the same English […]
Hidden Funds Revelation Undermines Tax Hike Campaign
Parks Scandal Highlights Government Mismanagement Amid a fervent campaign to convince the public that they should tax themselves $8.6 billion dollars more, Governor Brown’s Parks Department is under fire for a secret stash of $54 million dollars that was recently uncovered. A smaller scandal – an illegal slush-fund vacation payout to state park employees – […]
Luck, Timing and Prop. 13
Crossposted on Prop Zero If politics is a matter of luck and timing, a look back at Proposition 13 (also on his watch) might be instructive as Gov. Jerry Brown tries to save his proposed tax initiative. In terms of luck, Brown appears to have had a run of the bad kind lately, just as […]
Gov. Brown’s “Chinatown”
Crossposted on CalWatchDog First there was the bullet train to nowhere. Now there are the tunnels to nowhere. Gov. Jerry Brown is hell-bent on creating a legacy. Unfortunately, it also appears that most of California’s legislators make decisions based on legacy as well. But lawmaking by legacy rarely bodes well. Water wars Brown announced Wednesday that […]