Replacing the Gas Tax to Stabilize Road Funding
One of the few recent initiatives to improve California’s economic base was left undone when the Legislature recessed this fall without addressing transportation finance. Governor Brown called a special session to fill what he estimated as a $5.7 billion annual hole in highway, bridge and road maintenance and upkeep. The Legislature remains at a standoff over whether […]
Stop the Gas Leak But Keep Energy Flowing
In front a background of a steady stream of work vehicles ascending the Santa Susana Mountains to the Porter Ranch Aliso Canyon methane gas storage facility, several state senators laid out plans for dealing with the leak’s aftermath once the leak is stopped. The trick is to make sure residents are safe while assuring that […]
Jerry Brown’s Excellent Budget — At Least On a Cash Basis
Last week Governor Jerry Brown continued his steady stewardship of state finances by proposing a budget for the 2016–17 fiscal year that restrains spending despite hefty projected revenue growth. Brown once again reminded observers that healthy revenues today are likely to turn infirm tomorrow because of the state’s reliance on capital gains and that officials should plan accordingly. For […]
Reducing Joblessness: What Went Right over the Past 40 Years in California
(This short essay first appeared in Zocalo Public Square under the title of “How We Saved the Middle Class in the 1980s”. It draws on a current archiving project with the California State Library on job training/anti-poverty efforts in our state during the 1970s and 1980s.) It’s easy to think that, in the world of […]
Bill Would Fix Prop 13-Related Issue
Senate Bill 259 will be presented to the Senate Governance and Finance Committee on Wednesday. It would correct an outdated interpretation of property change of ownership that has been the subject of multiple instances of illegitimate tax evasion. A prime example is the 2006 purchase of a hotel in Santa Monica where the purchaser realized he […]