Bond Transparency
Bonds are not free money. The question is: do voters know that when they vote on bonds? If you follow bond election campaigns you know that in most cases supporters of bonds don’t tell voters that state bonds obligate money from the General Fund or that local bonds raise taxes. It is time for transparency […]
The History and Provisions of the State Spending Limit, and Why It’s Back in Play
What a surprise! According to the Legislative Analyst’s Office, the long-dormant state spending limit (embedded in Article XIIIB of the California Constitution) could have an impact on the 2017-18 budget now under discussion at the Capitol. “What spending limit?” is the reaction of most observers. The limit, known as the “Gann Limit” after one of […]
Give the Teachers Their Tax Break – On One Big Condition
There are plenty of arguments against a bill in the California legislature that would exempt California teachers from taxes on their salaries. But forget those arguments about the cost, about the fairness of exempting people who make more than the median Californian from taxes, or even about the problem of public employees forgoing paying certain […]
Gorsuch Hearings Not A Bork Re-Play
No one will ever confuse the bland hearings for Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch with the rousing intellectual proceedings that occurred when Robert Bork sat before the senate judiciary committee seeking appointment to that court. For four and a half days, Americans were tuned to television and radio broadcasts of the most enlightening judicial give […]