Can a Water Measure Drown High-Speed-Rail?
The high-speed rail project has avoided roadblocks from lawsuits (so far), negative media reports and legislative efforts calling for a new vote of the people – but can it withstand a new initiative proposal that calls for moving unspent high-speed rail bond money from the rail undertaking to build surface water and groundwater storage projects? […]
CA GOP Should Not Give Up on Winnable Senate Seat
Apparently, the California Republican Party is hesitant to support out-going Assembly Minority Leader Kristin Olsen’s possible challenge of Democratic State Senator Cathleen Galgiani (SD 5). The reason being that local and state business groups have determined that Galgiani is a sufficiently pro-business Democrat in an otherwise business-skeptic Democratic caucus. Abandoning one of its legislative leaders is sufficiently ridiculous, but […]
How About a Free Initiative Filing Alternative?
California’s initiative filing fees are going up to $2,000, by far the highest in the country. And a huge disincentive for regular folks to use the process. As Joel Fox and I have both pointed out on this site, there are other consequences too – less room for filing alternative measures that might be part […]
What Will California Do Without the Export-Import Bank?
While the political battle over the future of the Export-Import Bank of the United States reaches fever pitch in the Senate, exporters in California and across the United States keep pursuing opportunities in overseas markets. They are often hobbled, however, in their efforts: The expiration of the Ex-Im Bank’s mandate on July 1 significantly complicated […]