Money Fight Just Beginning for Governor Brown
When Fullerton Mayor Sharon Quirk-Silva finally declared victory over Republican Assemblyman Chris Norby Thursday, it gave the Democrats a two-thirds supermajority in both houses of the Legislature for the first time since 1883. But even as those final votes were being counted in Orange County, it’s not hard to imagine Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown rooting […]
Letter from Uruguay: Let Parties Put Initiatives, Referenda on the Ballot
Uruguay, where I’ve spent the past week, is a global leader in direct democracy. Referenda are very much a part of civic life, from the local level (these folks vote on stoplights) to the national level. And the initiative process for national constitutional amendments is used to settle big questions. So how is that different […]
Reality and Unreality of a Split Property Tax Roll
Editor’s Note: This article is from a longer piece on California’s economic growth titled “Supermajority Can’t Legislate Away Reality” published in Cal Watchdog. Read the entire article here. The only political response to slow growth has been for the Party of Government to protect state and local governments, not businesses. Now the Democratic supermajority in […]
California Government Clinches Control Over Taxpayers With Prop 30
California government workers cinched their stranglehold on state taxpayers even tighter last Tuesday in defeating a proposition to ban compulsory business and union political contributions while approving a “temporary” tax increase alleged to pay for education. The largest, richest teachers’ union proclaimed the election “A Sweep!” In both cases, the margin of victory fell well below […]