Stealth Gas-Tax Increase Hits Today
Call it the Stealth Gas-Tax Increase. Today California’s gas tax increases about 12 cents a gallon to pay for the newly budgeted $5.2 billion a year in supposed road repairs which the Legislature passed and Gov. Jerry Brown signed last April. But few motorists will notice it. That’s because every Nov. 1 the state switches […]
California’s Gas Tax on Its Way Up
In the State of California, there are a variety of sources of funding for transportation purposes, including funding for the state highway system and the local streets and roads system. These funding sources include fuel excise taxes, commercial vehicle weight fees, local transactions and use taxes, and federal funds. Because of legislation earlier this year, […]
Beyond the Fires, What the Napa Valley Wine Economy Can Teach Us
In the past few weeks, much has been written about the devastation wrought by the Napa Valley fires, as well as the area’s determination to rebuild quickly. These are important stories, worth continuing to track. But there is another story of the Napa economy that has not received sufficient attention in the fire coverage. It […]
The Gas Tax is Going Up—Treat or Trick?
How can anyone call a tax increase a “treat?” One would think increasing taxes on an essential product like gasoline is definitely a trick to fit today’s holiday theme. Of course, whether trick or treat depends on where one stands on the issue. If you are in infrastructure construction; if you believe improvements made to […]
CTA’s Endorsement of Newsom Deserves Scrutiny
The biggest news of the governor’s race came and went with relatively little notice: The California Teachers Association endorsed Gavin Newsom for governor. CTA is the most powerful and sophisticated interest group in state politics. And with their endorsement, Newsom is the all-but-official governor in waiting. For the past 20 years, getting elected governor in […]
Ugly Political Hypocrisy in California
The recent release of Ken Burns’s Vietnam documentary transported me back to the politics of my youth and the ugly hypocrisy of Lyndon Johnson, whose story contains a critical lesson for California today. It’s no secret that Johnson lied about events in the Gulf of Tonkin and about progress in the Vietnam War as he […]
Small Businesses Haunted by New Taxes and Mandates
As many Californians prepare for a night full of fright this Halloween evening, small business owners have much more to fear than spooky costumes and decorations. Our final The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly update of the year illustrates some of the most severe taxes and mandates which are sure to haunt small businesses […]
Brown vs. Issa — it’s about Who Gets the Money
Gov. Jerry Brown called the idea of eliminating state and local tax deductions from federal taxes “horrible” tax policy. Congressman Darrell Issa in support of the plan argued that the bad tax policy was the California tax increases supported by Brown. The tug of war between Brown and Issa–and between Democrats and Republicans–on state and […]
California Gubernatorial Debate Left Big Stone Unturned
The San Francisco Chronicle hosted a debate among the four announced Democrats for governor. Based upon the paper’s post-debate editorial, they left a big stone unturned. A health care provider (the California Nurses Association) has sponsored a bill (SB 562) in the California Legislature to establish what it refers to as a “single-payer” system. But as […]