Two-Thirds Vote Needed for Some Local Taxes? Who Knows?
Does it take a two-thirds vote or a majority vote of the people to raise local taxes placed on the ballot via the initiative process? Answer: No one knows—yet. Like many policy debates, it will take a state Appeals Court or the California Supreme Court to decide. Uncertainty already existed over the vote requirement for […]
What Does the Real Estate Slowdown Mean for Split Roll?
The ballot initiatives to split the roll—to treat commercial property tax assessments differently than residential property assessments—have been developed in the context of sky-high real estate prices. But Californians may vote on the latest version of the initiative in a very different context. The real estate market is looking pretty soft in different parts of […]
Finally, an energy book in layman’s language: Energy Made Easy
Energy is multifaceted, and the just published “Energy Made Easy – Helping Citizens Become Energy-Literate” by Ronald Stein and Todd Royal available on Amazon allows the reader to grasp enough knowledge quickly so they can participate in discussions with family, friends, co-workers, or while watching news reports. The main purpose of the book is to […]
Democrats Ignore Voter Decisions
In politics, as in sports, rules of the game often influence, or even dictate, who wins and who loses. Just as professional sports leagues are wracked by internal conflict over playing rules, California’s politicians and interest groups joust constantly over campaign contribution limits, redrawing of legislative and congressional districts, voter registration, voting procedures and countless […]