In LA: Taxing Business to Publically Finance Political Campaigns?
A Los Angeles City Councilman wants to get rid of private money in politics by approving a public financing scheme potentially funded by taxing members of the business community. Councilman Mike Bonin, reacting to stories that big time developers try to persuade public officials to support their projects with campaign contributions, thinks its time to […]
Touchdown, San Diego
San Diego is being portrayed as having lost a football team—when in fact, it just won the opportunity to build an even brighter future. Pro football isn’t a good business for a major American city. Having a team mostly just takes money from other entertainment businesses. And dramas over stadiums and stadium financing – and […]
Renewables Have Glaring Obstacles to Overcome for California
Bloomberg is now reporting that solar energy is cheaper than coal, and could become the lowest form of energy within a decade. Economies of scale are causing solar to drop from an average of $1.14 a watt all the way to .73 cents per watt by 2025. This should be great news for California’s overwhelming embrace of […]
Those Proliferating Pensions
California is enjoying a remarkable economic turnaround. Job creation is up, the unemployment rate is down and elected officials are getting raw hands from all the back patting they’re doing. But there’s one problem a lot of folks are overlooking: Generous public-sector pensions up and down the state remain hugely underfunded. It’s an immense and […]