The Budget’s Done. What Now?
The budget passed—no surprise—so what will the legislature focus on during the remaining session this year? First, a few factors to consider about 2018 that may frame what happens in the remainder of the 2017 legislative session. Next year is an election year, which rarely produces major policy changes as legislators are leery of defending […]
CA Budget & Fiscal Policy is Unsustainable
While the governor’s leadership has been the key to keeping California in the black and paying down debt, the Legislature continues to grow permanent spending based on an increasingly volatile revenue stream. The Legislature’s highest priority for environmental policy is sustainability. Yet today their highest priority for budget and fiscal policy is unsustainability. Since the […]
The Gas Tax. Who Cares?
Apparently, it’s time to choose up sides about the gas tax. What’s the point? There’s not much good to say about the legislative package that raised the gas tax to pay for a relatively small amount of road construction. After generations of neglect, California’s needs so far outpace the relatively small amount of money raised […]
Health Care for All? More Like How to Destroy California
The staggering price tag for the Democrats’ plan to provide “health care for all” would cost California $400 billion a year to create a state-funded universal health care system — more than double the $180 billion annual state budget. California residents will be required to pay significantly increased taxes — as much as 50 percent […]