Pledge to Hold Line on Taxes Tested by 66 Bills to Raise Taxes $11 Billion
Following the November 2012 election in which two major tax increases passed (Proposition 30 and 39), Governor Jerry Brown and the leaders of the California legislature pledged to hold the line on taxes. Apparently, the message did get to the rank and file. According to a report by the California Taxpayers Association, the legislature considered […]
BART Compensation Levels Remain Higher Than Rest of Transit Sector
California Common Sense (CACS) released a brief report (and accompanying data) analyzing the impact of rising personnel costs on the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) system’s budget since 1999-00. The report found that though BART’s compensation levels have declined as a portion of its operating budget since 2000, they have remained above those of most […]
BART Train Wreck Averted by Gov. Jerry Brown
California Governor Jerry Brown has called for a 7-day pause to avert another major strike of Bay Area Rapid Transit workers. The Governor stepped in late Sunday night, just hours before the scheduled 12:01 Monday walkout. Brown’s order also gives a three-person board one week to investigate the current state of affairs in the negotiations. The […]
California’s Blue-on-blue Battle
Perhaps nothing more illustrates the evolving inner class conflict within the progressive political movement than the recent embrace of California as a role model for the rest of the country. The Golden State, maintains John Judis of the New Republic, should provide the game plan for the Obama administration as it seeks a path back […]