Sudden Death of GOP Senator has No Bearing on Supermajority
While the sudden death of a Republican senator Thursday morning seemingly gives Senate Democrats a two-thirds majority in the chamber, the state’s Constitution prevents it from having any effect, a Senate Rules Committee spokesman confirmed. Sen. Sharon Runner died Thursday morning, ending a longtime battle with scleroderma — a condition that forced the Lancaster Republican […]
Pensions and Taxes
In January 2015, the Manhattan Institute’s Steve Malanga, writing in the Wall Street Journal about public pension costs gulping down tax raises, quoted me saying that no matter what local politicians tell voters, when you see tax increases, think pensions. To paraphrase Ronald Reagan: Here I go again! Recent accounts indicated that the California Public Employees’ […]
Why It’s So Hard to Speak Silicon Valley
You can’t talk to people in Silicon Valley anymore. They don’t even speak our language. By that, I’m not referencing Mark Zuckerberg’s mediocre Mandarin or the software code underlying so many Valley’s endeavors. I’m talking, literally, about the words Valley denizens use when they speak, in sentences like: “Yeah, that startup has some cool gamification, […]
California Energy Plans Must Consider Geopolitics
The political actions of energy producing states such as Saudi Arabia, Russia, Iran, and the United States (US) impact energy prices. And no state seems to affect the nation, and it could be argued the world, more than California. California and its landmark global warming law affect how energy is consumed, produced and the impact […]
Sex, Drugs and a Controversial AIDS Activist
As an AIDS activist 30 years ago, Michael Weinstein helped defeat an inflammatory ballot measure that could have quarantined Californians with the disease. Today, Weinstein has turned to the ballot to advance his own controversial vision for public health. President of the Los Angeles-based AIDS Healthcare Foundation, which has clinics around the world, Weinstein is […]
Long SF Ballot Looking for More Liberals. Really?
Hard to believe but a potentially long San Francisco ballot in November is being driven by the expectation of a more liberal electorate. Excuse me, but we’re talking about San Francisco here. How much more liberal can the electorate get? Republican registration is in single digits, below 8%. San Francisco’s ballot in November could contain […]
Battle of the Untrusted for the White House
In politics trust is the coin of the realm; both presidential candidates suffer from dismal ratings in that category that are unprecedented for seekers of the most important office in the land. If the election will be determined by which candidate is perceived the least untrustworthy based on character variables profoundly different for each of […]
Populist Unity Can Overcome the Establishment’s Supermajority
Back in 2012 we published an article entitled “The Forgotten 33%,” which included a graphic entitled “American Voter Breakdown 2012.” It depicted the U.S. electorate as comprised of 46% who pay zero net taxes, 20% who work for the government and are net tax consumers, the 1% “super rich,” and the “forgotten 33%,” who work in […]
A Back Door Way to Tax Business
A parcel tax for parks and perhaps another for relieving homelessness is coming to a head in Los Angeles County with efforts to tax property parcels on a square footage basis. This is an obvious attempt to collect more tax revenue from business property owners. Most business parcels contain larger structures. In Los Angeles, movie […]