Is Local Tax Measure Success a Sign of Things to Come?
As usual, Michael Coleman’s California City Finance website has an excellent recap of local tax measures and how they fared in the recent election. Local ballots contained 268 revenue measures — tax increases, tax extensions or bonds, of which 71% or 189 passed. The two largest categories of revenue instruments were general fund city taxes […]
Legislatures Challenging Initiative Process in Federal Courts
Those who don’t like the initiative process may have found a powerful ally in the United States Constitution. I write “may” because precedent is not on their side. But that hasn’t stopped initiative critics from making the effort to enlist the court’s support — and the courts are at least listening. On this page, I […]
California’s 2016 Ballot Could be a Tax Blitzkrieg
If voters were a bit underwhelmed by the measures on the California ballot last week, just wait for the 2016 election. Already there is talk of potential initiatives on legalizing recreational marijuana, public pension reform, minimum wage increases and a basket full of tax hikes. The machinations around the tax issues could be most compelling […]
California’s U.S. Senate Seats in Spotlight
Chatter around political circles last week frequently focused on California politicians who were not even on Tuesday’s ballot. Would U.S. Senators Barbara Boxer, 74 tomorrow, and Dianne Feinstein, 81, run for re-election? The speculation was enhanced after the USC Dornsife College/Los Angeles Times poll released over the weekend showed that a majority of Californians would […]
Higher Ed Tuition Hikes for What Purpose?
Yesterday, on a post-election panel presented by Capitol Weekly, I raised the issue of potential tax increases being contemplated by public unions and other groups in the next election and said that one of the reasons more revenue was sought was to cover pension obligations. A union representative on the panel scoffed that pensions were […]
Questions Post Election
Votes are still being counted in the California election but the results so far raise some thoughts and questions. Labor or Business—and the winner is? Both sides can point to victories—and defeats. Business supported candidate Catharine Baker surprised labor official Tim Sbranti in AD 16. Ben Allen in SD 26 was also a big business […]
The Democratic Wall in CA has Leaks
The Republican election day tide which saw a gain of 7 senate seats, 13 House seats and 3 governorships across the nation banged into the Sierra Nevada wall that has often separated California metaphorically from the rest of the country with Democrats once again sweeping all the statewide offices. But this time there were leaks […]
Throw the Penalty Flag on Misleading Political Ads
As the election season and football season run concurrently, one has daydreams about the possibility of throwing penalty flags on misleading political ads. Sure there have been complaints this football season that there have been too many penalty flags thrown, but it is just the opposite in politics – not enough penalty flags. This is […]
Yes on Props 1 & 2
The old expression that the perfect should not be the enemy of the good is often repeated in political debates when compromise is at hand. An application of that old saw should be applied to Propositions 1 & 2 on next week’s ballot and both measures should be passed by voters. This page has carried […]
Politics Present and Past
On Tuesday, I had an opportunity to listen to someone running for statewide office in California today and a short time later spend time with someone who helped many candidates run for office decades ago, including one who won the highest office in the land. Ashley Swearengin is running for controller; Stu Spencer was the […]