Serrano vs. Priest School Financing Case Pops Up in SB 277 Debate
It was a bit jarring to hear the numerous references to the California Supreme Court’s Serrano vs. Priest decisions of the 1970s taking a prominent roll in the passionate Assembly debate over SB 277, the measure to disallow personal belief and religious exemptions for mandated vaccinations of school children. Serrano vs. Priest had nothing to […]
The Pope vs. AB 32
One of the surprises of Pope Francis’ new encyclical on climate change was that he criticized so-called “cap and trade “ systems of pollution credits. California has such a system, and the funds produced by the selling of the pollution credits are the subject of considerable fights. But the Pope doesn’t like such credits. In […]
Support Fair Rules for Franchised Small Businesses
What are the biggest obstacles facing small businesses? Contrary to conventional wisdom, it isn’t always government. In fact, for many small businesses in California, the main source of bureaucracy, red tape, interference, fine-print traps, and threats to financial stability is a big corporation, not the government. Tens of thousands of California entrepreneurs have invested in […]
Big Win for the President
The Senate voted 60-38 in favor of sending Trade Promotion Authority (Fast Track) to President Obama Wednesday, with Senator Feinstein voting for, and Senator Boxer against. This legislation allows for up-or-down votes on trade treaties submitted to Congress for the next six years, without the ability to add amendments. A week ago, Fast Track’s chances […]