Business Bets on Democrats to GOP Chagrin
From the business perspective is the top two primary working out as hoped? Looking at the lineup of 28 same party run-offs, mostly Democratic contests in this heavily Democratic state, business can advocate for and help fund the more business-friendly Democrat in each race. Yet, in many cases the winning Democrat will stay true to […]
Does Blink-182 Know Something California Governor Jerry Brown Doesn’t?
How is California doing these days? The answer may depend on whom you believe: Governor Brown or Blink-182? This summer has exposed a divide in perception of California, between the political triumphalism of our elected officials and the decidedly more anxious state of affairs depicted in the broader culture. Our state’s political and media elites […]
Adventures In Corporate Giveaways: The Curious Case Of Anaheim, CA
Inspired by the Dalai Lama, Anaheim Mayor Tom Tait created the “City of Kindness” initiative. The goal is as simple as the initiative’s title: people should be kind to each other, because, as Mayor Tait asks: “Who wouldn’t want to live in a city of kindness?” While for the past 5 ½ years Mayor Tait […]
As I Wrote in 1991—Don’t Tax Newspapers
Reading Jim Miller’s Sacramento Bee report that newspapers may soon see the end of a sales tax imposed on them during the early 1990s recession brought back memories. As head of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association at the time, I regularly opposed tax increases—but a tax increase on newspapers was tempting. Why? A reality check for […]
From Inside the GOP Convention–“Safety” is the Watchword
On the bus to Cleveland … On the bus to Sandusky… We are spending a lot of time on the road back and forth to and from the convention along this 58 mile path each way! One of the main issues on everyone’s mind for this convention has been fear for safety. After police have […]
Covered CA Rate Increase Driven by High Drug Prices
Covered California announced a statewide weighted average increase of 13.2% for 2017, which is due in part to the loss of the federal reinsurance program and the high cost of specialty drugs. Millions of previously uninsured Californians now have health care coverage because of the Affordable Care Act, but containing health care costs remains a […]
CalChamber Reports on Status of Major Business Bills
(Editor’s Note: The following announcement and link to bills’ report was issued by the California Chamber of Commerce.) Numerous business priorities remain to be considered when legislators reconvene after their summer recess, according to the California Chamber of Commerce summary of the status of top priority bills for the business community. The Senate fiscal committee has scheduled […]
The New Budget Formula People Are Talking About on the Streets
I spent much of my work time over the past six months running around South Los Angeles, for a Zocalo series on the region. To my surprise, I heard quite a bit from people in South L.A. about a new budget formula in California. It relates to the savings of Prop 47. Awareness of the details […]
Primary Election Takeaways
With the release of the official Statement of the Vote on Friday, the 2016 California primary is now in the history books. The final tally by the Secretary of State offers many new insights for those of us who closely follow elections and polling in California. This year’s results deserve a particularly close look because of the […]