Despite LA Assessor’s Problems, an Assessor Should be Elected
Cries that assessors should be appointed rather than elected have surfaced in Los Angeles because county assessor, John Noguez, is in trouble. It has been alleged that Norguez’s office reduced tax assessments on property for individuals who donated to the assessor’s campaign. The hue and cry over the situation has brought demands that the assessor […]
Ancient Oracle tries to Decipher PPIC Poll
I invited an ancient Oracle from Delphi to help me decipher what California voters were telling us with their answers to PPIC’s most recent poll of the state’s electorate. The Oracle laid out the entrails as found in the poll’s questions and answers and crosstabs and thought quietly for a time. A puzzled look came […]
Ads Alone Don’t Push Poll Numbers
In the press release accompanying the newly released Public Policy Institute of California poll, PPIC President Mark Baldassare attributes the drop in support for the Proposition 29 tobacco tax to “how a well-funded opposition is able to raise voters’ doubts and distrust in state government, even when a tax increase is viewed favorably.” No question […]
Prop 29 Could Begin Push to Tax Specific Products and Services
If the Proposition 29 tobacco tax passes on June 5th, it could kick off a negative trend of targeted taxes on products and services. Supporters of the tobacco tax argue that they wrote the measure to direct how taxes would be spent because voters don’t trust legislators to handle their tax dollars appropriately. Walling off […]
California Forward Initiative Contains the Closest Thing to a Spending Limit
California Forward filed signatures to put the organization’s reform package on the ballot. While the legislature is considering whether to create a compromise package to satisfy both the proponents and critics of the proposal so that the organization might abandon the measure even if it appears on the ballot, voters are going to have to […]
In Memoriam: Tom Fuentes
My last contact with Tom Fuentes, the long time Orange County Republican Chairman who passed away Friday, was an email correspondence right before Thanksgiving. Tom graciously wrote that he very much enjoyed the different commentaries on Fox and Hounds and our sites’ “contribution to the dialogue.” Even in battling the disease that would take his […]
Do Gridlock and Open Government go Hand-in-Hand?
Government gridlock in Sacramento has been the subject of millions of words and much consternation. However, a couple of comments I heard in listening to former legislators last week made me wonder if it is time to question if the sacrosanct movement to government transparency is something to be challenged. At the Economic Summit last […]
The Musical “Call Me Madam” has a Warning for California
The 1950 Tony award winning Irving Berlin Musical, Call Me Madam can speak to California’s fiscal crisis, tax historian Dave Doerr told an audience at UC Berkeley last month. Doerr, now chief consultant for the California Taxpayers Association, was the long time chief consultant for the Assembly Revenue and Taxation Committee. He literally wrote the […]
Education is Where the Money is – But Do the Voters Know?
Governor Jerry Brown’s answer to a reporter’s question at the budget press conference reminded me of a quick response bank robber Willie Sutton supposedly gave to the question of why he robbed banks. Said Sutton: “Because that’s where the money is.” Brown was asked why education would be targeted for cuts if tax increase measures […]
The Backwards May Budget Revise: Taxes Before Reforms
Governor Jerry Brown’s press conference on the May budget revise served the dual purpose of revealing the new budget and kicking off his campaign to pass his tax initiative on November’s ballot. The governor wasted no time in tying the success of his budget to his initiative income and sales tax increase plan. The governor […]