Homelessness Issue Chasing Businesses Away
Businesses have long been concerned about taxes and traffic congestion as impediments to business and while those concerns still exist they have suddenly been joined by a new issue that is frustrating Californians—homelessness. That is the finding of the latest Los Angeles County Business Federation (BizFed) poll. While taxes remained the top concern for the […]
Rent Control Initiative Likely on 2020 Ballot
Housing activists are at it again. After seeing last year’s ballot measure – Proposition 10 – go down in flames, they’re taking another run at establishing statewide rent control. Recently, last year’s losing side submitted a market-constraining draft initiative for the 2020 ballot to the state attorney general (AG) for “title and summary”. The […]
Willie Sutton, Milton Friedman and CA’s Budget
Here’s one way we look at General Fund spending in the context of what the legislature can and cannot do: You’ll notice K-14 education and General Obligation Bond debt service are absent from that chart. That’s because those two items are constitutionally protected. K-14 is entitled to 40 percent and debt service this year will […]
Bill Reduces Ballot Measure Transparency
Given their druthers, many government officials would prefer to do their business – our business, actually – behind closed doors and provide sanitized, self-serving versions of their actions after the fact. Journalists and governmental watchdogs struggle constantly to overcome the tendency toward secrecy and obfuscation, sometimes winning and often losing. Two years ago, in a […]