Those 2/3 Votes Are Pricey
It was awfully hard for Gov. Jerry Brown to push through that legislation to renew cap and trade. Expensive too. But don’t feel sorry for the governor. It was his own damn legislation facing obstacles that are his own damn fault. Brown needed to get two-thirds because cap-and-trade raises revenues, and that requires a two-third […]
Fire Fee Suspension Not Enough
On behalf of working Californians and our citizen taxpayer members, HJTA is profoundly disappointed in the political “deal” which was struck yesterday to extend California’s “cap and trade” law. Nothing can justify conservative support for a law that will surely result in at least a 71 cents increase in the cost of gasoline with absolutely zero […]
Republicans Voting for Cap-n-Trade Say it’s Good for Business
Minutes after a bipartisan coalition of California lawmakers voted to extend the state’s landmark climate change policy for another decade, Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown stood in front of a bank of television cameras and compared the plan to one championed 30 years ago by GOP icon Ronald Reagan. Back then, the Republican president helped negotiate […]
California Supreme Court ruling limits harmful effects of Prop. 47
Gov. Jerry Brown and the state Legislature steadfastly refuse to address even the most egregious flaws in their beloved soft-on-crime initiative, Proposition 47. But despite their obstinacy, a droplet of positive news has trickled out of Sacramento. The California Supreme Court has ruled that judges have wide discretion to refuse to shorten the sentences of third-strike […]
A Teachable Pension Math Moment
The California Public Employees’ Retirement System reported excellent earnings for its 2016–17 fiscal year, earning 11.2 percent. Yet CalPERS’s Funded Ratio (the ratio of assets set aside to meet pension liabilities owed by governments) improved only three percentage points, from 65 percent to 68 percent. In other words, an extraordinary investment return 60 percent greater than the […]