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 […]

Examples of how California’s one-party rule has us sliding ever closer to third world status become more frequent with every passing week. From a governor who issues a sweeping executive order banning gasoline powered vehicles to record levels of poverty and rampant homelessness, it is now difficult to distinguish much of California from Venezuela. One-party […]

Last Thursday, the Fair Political Practices Commission imposed one of the largest fines ever against Los Angeles County for using taxpayer funds for political ads touting Measure H, a sales tax increase on the ballot in 2017. The action by the FPPC was precipitated by a complaint filed by the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association. The […]

With COVID-19 precautions making government accountability more challenging, the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Foundation’s annual Follow the Money report shows taxpayers must remain vigilant against waste, fraud, and abuse. This year’s report, released on July 15th to coincide with this year’s postponed Tax Day, includes a special section exposing instances of waste arising directly from the […]

Under California law, proposed initiatives must be presented to the California Legislature in an “informational hearing” open to the public. Legislators do not vote on the proposals because these are initiatives that have already qualified for the ballot. The hearings are mostly for the benefit of policy leaders and the public. Because the infamous “split […]

From many corners, California politicians and tax officials are under increasing pressure to extend the current April 10 deadline for paying property tax bills. The request is not unreasonable and there are many ways that government can assist homeowners who are under threat of hefty penalties or tax foreclosures. To date, our political leaders have […]

Recently, this column exposed the foolishness of two proposed statewide bond measures: A $15 billion school bond, which will be on the March 3 ballot, as well as a “climate resiliency” bond. Both are horribly flawed for several reasons, not the least of which that it makes no sense for California to go further into […]

There is little debate that California is a harsh, anti-taxpayer environment ruled by a tax-happy majority party.  However, in this super-partisan environment that grips both California and the entire nation, it is important to point out when our political adversaries do something positive. In that spirit, let’s acknowledge what Gov. Gavin Newsom did right for […]

It’s no secret that California, perhaps America’s most progressive state, is controlled by a political establishment openly hostile to the interests of taxpayers. Taxpayer victories over the state’s liberal power structure are rare, but they do happen. Last week, taxpayers prevailed in a long running lawsuit involving public funding for political campaigns. The dispute began […]

Let’s face it. California’s budget process has devolved into a bad joke. The record amount of spending coupled with massive expenditures for wasteful, pork-barrel projects is bad enough. But the more insidious problem is the lack of budget transparency. This is not the way it is supposed to be. As usual, Sacramento politicians are patting […]