Despite Concerns, Initiative Process is Here to Stay
For its October poll, the Public Policy Institute of California tested support for California’s initiative process. In a series of four questions the pollsters asked voters if they were satisfied with the initiative process, if the process was controlled by special interests, if there are too many propositions on the ballot, and if initiative wording […]
2021 and Another Minimum Wage Hike Coming
Just like earlier this year, because of the enactment of SB 3 (Leno) in 2016, California’s minimum wage is going up again. On January 1, 2021, the state’s minimum wage will be increased for all sizes of businesses, including “small employers,” who will see their fourth wage hike in recent years. Under prior state law, […]
California’s Tax Revenue
According to the October Finance Bulletin issued by the Department of Finance, California’s tax revenues in September were 43 percent greater than forecast by the 2020-21 Budget Act enacted in June. Revenues for the first three months of the current fiscal year are now $8.7 billion greater than forecast. That’s good news for programs worried […]
Prop. 15 backers try to mislead homeowners
It’s a sign of desperation. When anyone in politics starts making wild claims less than a month before an election, you know something is amiss. So it is with the proponents of Proposition 15, the “split roll” initiative which would impose the largest property tax increase in California history. Throughout this campaign, proponents have consistently […]
How to Save California’s Forests
For about twenty million years, California’s forests endured countless droughts, some lasting over a century. Natural fires, started by lightening and very frequent in the Sierras, were essential to keep forest ecosystems healthy. In Yosemite, for example, meadows used to cover most of the valley floor, because while forests constantly encroached, fires would periodically wipe […]