The Big Stumbling Block for a Tobacco Tax Compromise
The California legislature passed a package of bills intended to diminish tobacco sales. While one measure allows county governments to seek a tax on cigarettes, a state tobacco tax was not included in the package. That’s not to say many in the legislature would like a tobacco tax and efforts were made to convince the […]
Beth Garrett, RIP
The terrible headlines said that Cornell’s president, the first woman to head the university, had died of cancer at age 52. The news hit hard not only in New York State but also here in California. Many of us Californians were lucky enough to know Beth Garrett. She was a star in academic world, and […]
Big Money Readies For Fight Over Tax Extension
A hospital association just pumped $12.5 million into an effort to extend a tax on top earners — a tax that’s provided billions of dollars in education funding since 2012. In fact, the California Association of Hospitals and Health Systems quadrupled its investment from four years ago when Prop. 30 passed. So why do hospitals care so much about education […]
To Reform DWP, LA Should Learn From Other Cities
The Los Angeles City Council is preparing to vote on new water and power rate ordinances that will raise DWP rates annually for the next five years. If Mayor Eric Garcetti signs the ordinances, they will start jacking up your bills within months. The city has received over 2,000 angry letters of protest about the […]