State Income Taxes Aren’t Hurting California’s Baseball Teams
LA Times columnist George Skelton has long been a critic of California’s progressive tax structure He has a point: the system produces volatile revenues. The counter to that is, of course, that overwhelming amounts of taxes come from the rich because they make overwhelming amounts of the income. But his latest argument—that the state’s high […]
What the “Green New Deal” Doesn’t Do for Housing
“The world is going to end in 12 years if we don’t address climate change.” That’s what congressional newcomer Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) is saying about the latest existential threat to the planet (and the well-being of its inhabitants) – best known as global warming. To back up her claims she recently presented a “Green New […]
New pension-cut rulings begin with little change
Voter-approved pension cuts were the first wave of court cases after public pension investment funds had huge losses in a stock market crash a decade ago, creating the need for big bites out of government budgets to pay alarming debt. Ballot measures in cities large and small were overturned by the courts, from a blunt-force […]
California has a giant surplus—of ideas for new taxes. What’s up with that?
California is enjoying a projected $21.4 billion surplus. Three-quarters of the state believes any new revenue increase should be for voters to decide. By population and percentage of personal income, this state already has the nation’s 10th highest tax burden. And the leader of the California Senate, Pro Tem Toni Atkins, has pointedly cautioned against any more levies that take cash […]