Bringing Film And Television Production Home – Tax Credits Kick In!
California is on its way to reclaiming its position as the film and television capital of the world, thanks in large part to the enhanced tax credit program approved by the legislature last year to curb runaway production. Although the stepped-up program was launched just a few months ago, the results are already impressive. A […]
Butch Cassidy, The Sundance Kid And Congress – Act II
Butch Cassidy : Alright. I’ll jump first. Sundance Kid : No. Butch Cassidy : Then you jump first. Sundance Kid : No, I said. Butch Cassidy : What’s the matter with you? Sundance Kid : I can’t swim. Butch Cassidy: Are you crazy? The fall will probably kill you. So went the dialogue as Paul Newman and Robert Redford jumped over the […]
Improving the Movement of Freight. Why Should We Care? Part II
My commentary, posted nearly a year ago, spoke to the critical need to fund the repair and upgrade of the system that moves goods through California and the nation, given that international trade is one of the most important drivers of the state’s economy and that competitors, both in the U.S. and abroad, are flexing […]
Water…Unfinished Business
“When I get on a roll with something, it’s really hard for me to put it down unfinished.” ~Taylor Swift Facing a fourth year of drought, many Californians reacted to voter approval of the water bond measure on the November ballot with a sigh of relief. It felt good and it is good — an […]
High Tech Edge Tilts To Los Angeles
The Silicon Valley is considered the high tech ‘‘capitol” of California, but it looks like Los Angeles is holding its own as a serious contender. For years the Silicon Valley has been attracting some of the smartest whiz kids on the planet, who work for large, innovative companies chaired by whiz adults, or form their […]
The Water Bond…Letting Go Of The North South Divide
In the nick of time, the legislature and the Governor have produced a $7.5 billion water bond proposal for voter consideration in November. There is a lot to love in this proposal. Capturing and storing water during wet years, knowing that droughts are a given. Cleaning up our water supplies to ensure safe drinking water, […]
Improving the Movement of Freight. Why Should We Care?
Freight! Each of us, on the average, consumes 40 tons of freight goods every year, and that fact is finally resonating in D. C. and Sacramento. How to get freight where it needs to be more efficiently is finally getting its due. And, the question of how an improved freight system will be funded is […]
The Governor’s Military Council…Sustaining Its Mission Of Helping Keep Our State And Nation Out Of Harm’s Way
“In this ever-changing world, it’s more important than ever that our top-notch military continues to receive the resources needed to serve and protect our country.” –Max Baucus The California Military Council, constituted last spring by Governor Brown to help preserve and strengthen California defense complex, which is vitally important to American’s security and the state’s […]
Time to Weigh in on the Bay Delta Conservation Plan
“Too much of a good thing can be wonderful!” ~Mae West Earlier this week the state and its federal partners released the Bay Delta Conservation Plan and its corresponding draft EIR/EIS for public review, triggering a 120-day comment period, an important step in working toward a final Plan. Developed by scientists and water experts, the intent […]
Meeting Transportation Challenges…Priorities to be Set
Mahatma Gandhi once said “Action expresses priorities”. Importantly, Governor Brown has taken just such an action by directing the new California Transportation Agency to work this year with stakeholders to determine the highest priorities for transportation spending as well as identifying long term funding options to achieve those priorities, determining what level of government can […]