Career Pathways Bolster California’s Competitive Advantages
One of California’s competitive advantages has been a skilled workforce for many growing industries. In a sea of high costs, our well-trained college graduates have stoked the growth of companies in many basic and cutting edge industries. We can maintain that advantage only by ensuring a steady pipeline of well-trained and highly motivated young workers […]
Warning of Recession, Governor Proposes Prudent Budget
Emphasizing his commitment to fiscal prudence, Governor Brown this week proposed a $171 billion balanced state budget with no new general taxes and an $8 billion rainy day reserve. Even though General Fund spending is projected to rise by more than $9 billion over the past two years, actual spending is held in check. Thanks to the […]
New Advisory Ballot Measure Tool Could Backfire
In a somewhat surprising turnaround, the California Supreme Court unshackled the Legislature to place advisory measures on the statewide ballot. With only one dissent, the Court concluded that advisory measures are well within the Legislature’s authority to investigate and research public policy, and that the State Constitution does not prohibit the placement of advisory questions on […]
More Skirmishes on Prop 30 Extension
Another piece has been moved on the November ballot chess board. Last week attorneys for the California Teachers Association and California Hospital Association submitted another version of an extension of the top brackets of California’s personal income tax. These brackets were added, ostensibly on a temporary basis, by Proposition 30 in 2012. The new proposal […]
Ballot Guerrilla War
Did anyone notice the guerrilla war that broke out last week? No, it wasn’t a coup d’etat in some tropical backwater. In fact, the first shots were fired on the website of the state’s chief law enforcement officer. The Ballot Wars have begun again, more or less on schedule. To no-one’s surprise, the California Teacher’s Association last month proposed […]
CTA Bides Time To Eliminate Rainy Day Reserve
Sponsors of an extension of the Proposition 30 top income tax rates amended their ballot initiative this week, slightly parting the curtain on the skirmishes yet to come. Recently I wrote of a clever provision buried in the original proposal. Sponsors aim to continue the tax hikes on the upper incomes for another dozen years. But they also slipped […]
Making Hiring Harder
The California Legislature would be more credible about its concern for job growth if it didn’t make it so hard for employers to hire workers. Job growth starts with an employer making an offer to an applicant. Thankfully, aggregate demand and certain competitive advantages in parts of California have strengthened our job base. But in […]
Long-Awaited Income Tax Proposal Finally Surfaces
The Legislature adjourned Friday after passing hundreds of bills, but not a single tax increase. The very next business day, lawyers for the state’s most powerful government workers union unveiled a proposed ballot initiative to raise taxes by at least $60 billion. Dubbed the “School Funding and Budget Stability Act of 2016,” the proposed measure would extend for 12 […]
Next Steps in the Climate Change Policy Debate
Yesterday saw a strategic retreat by Governor Brown and legislative leaders on climate change policy. While disappointing to leaders who want to seize the moment, this is in truth a good time to reassess mechanisms to achieve climate and energy goals. Like most Californians, I believe our elected leaders should take sensible actions to address […]
SB 406: Job Killer Threatens Us With More Litigation and Costs for Small Business
A workplace is most successful when an employer will want to do what it takes to keep a worker happy and productive. This includes accommodating his or her “work-life balance,” within the constraints of operating the business. But as usual, California has gone a different direction. Workers here enjoy the most generous mandatory leave policies […]