DiFi on Iran Deal, the Drought, and Running a City
Anyone wonder if U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein has the same feeling expressed by Gov. Jerry Brown about a presidential run–if she were a decade or so younger would she consider running for president? I pondered this when in introducing Feinstein to a joint session of the World Affairs Council and Town Hall Los Angeles Wednesday […]
SB 406: Job Killer Threatens Us With More Litigation and Costs for Small Business
A workplace is most successful when an employer will want to do what it takes to keep a worker happy and productive. This includes accommodating his or her “work-life balance,” within the constraints of operating the business. But as usual, California has gone a different direction. Workers here enjoy the most generous mandatory leave policies […]
Will New Higher Initiative Fee Mean More Initiative Errors?
I’ll write more here in the weeks to come about Gov. Brown’s bad decision to sign a bill raising the ballot initiative filing fee from $200 to $2,000—by far the highest in the country. But before the ink is still dry, let me raise one very practical issue that should be dealt with quickly by […]
Comparisons of 1968 and 2016 in Presidential Politics
It makes me laugh to hear commentators on the cable news outlets marvel about how the campaign to elect the successor to Barak Obama in 2016 is a unique event the likes of which has never been seen before. Hillary, The Donald, Jeb, Bernie, Carly, Joe, Dr. Carson, Marco, and the rest of the gang […]
Prop 39 Money is Being Invested Wisely
Regarding Joe Mathews’s post, “The Easy Fix for Prop 39”: Taxpayers expect government to invest wisely and that is exactly what is happening with Proposition 39 funding. Energy Efficiency projects will provide benefits to schools for decades to come, the sort of projects that demand careful planning and don’t get done overnight. As of today, […]
Governor and Democrats Intent on Raising Taxes
Majority Democrats have made it increasingly obvious that they are intent on raising taxes on hardworking Californians. In the clearest sign yet, the Governor released a draft transportation funding plan on Thursday, which includes a $65 fee on vehicle owners, an 11-cent increase in the diesel tax, and a 6-cent increase in the gas tax. This […]