Drowning California’s State Court System
Thirty-six years ago, when I began practicing law in the Los Angeles Superior Court system, the backlog of cases was so immense that you had to wait five years to get to trial. A Master Calendar Department would then put the lawyers on Beepers (like some restaurants today use), and, when your Beeper buzzed you, […]
Prop 13 Name Still has Power
A poll released on Friday by the California Business Roundtable and Pepperdine University’s School of Public Policy indicates that for voters there is still magic in the name Proposition 13. The poll measured voter reaction to possible changes in the 1978 property tax law, splitting the respondent sample questions so that one group was asked […]
Can Senator Paul’s Advice for CA Republicans Work?
Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) was on a California tour and penned an op-ed in the FlashReport arguing how Republicans can win back California and, in doing so, undermines Abel Maldonado’s campaign for governor: A more libertarian Republican might be able to attract support from California voters by ending the horribly unjust practice of mandatory minimum sentencing, in which non-violent drug […]
Three Reasons Gov. Brown’s School Funding Plan is Better than the Status Quo — and Three Big Ideas to Make the Plan Even Better
The current California education funding system lacks transparency and is extremely difficult for parents, policymakers and taxpayers to understand. In addition, under the current system, districts receive notably different per-pupil funding rates; affluent schools often receive more funding per pupil than less affluent ones. Last year Governor Brown successfully passed a sweeping tax increase through […]