The Politics of Tax Reform
Most analyst agree that California’s tax system is out of whack and needs major repairs but one thing that stands in the way is politics. Many interests are comfortable with what they’ve got with the current system and don’t want to change. Voters tend not to like tinkering with the tax system they know, fearing […]
California Ag Biz Loses Equivalent to Ebay Being Wiped Out, and it Could Get Worse
What if I told you California’s economy lost $9.6 billion in revenue last year? What if I told you the governor and the legislature didn’t care and didn’t think you would mind? That’s exactly what happened. The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) announced in October, “In 2015 California’s farms and ranches received approximately […]
The Cannabis Cartel California Needs
If California is going to transition successfully to full legalization of cannabis, our state is going to need its own cartel. For the record (and to reassure my friends in federal law enforcement), I am not smoking anything. And I am not suggesting that California encourage a criminal syndicate like the Zetas or the Sinaloa […]
Government and the Housing Crisis: Less Not More Involvement Needed
California elected officials proclaim a housing crisis is upon us. Like a plague of locusts, they say the problem was unforeseen and it deserves government’s attention. Frankly, an argument can be made that the state’s housing markets have for decades been overrun by bureaucrats and state lawmakers and now it’s time for government to reverse […]
Aiming for Supermajority, California Democrats Play Trump Card
The one shred of power Republicans hold in the California statehouse—enough seats to block Democratic lawmakers from a “supermajority”—is on the brink in this election. Already California is one of only seven states in which Democrats control the legislature and the governor’s office (as compared to 23 states where the GOP holds both). Here, Republicans […]