How Will Business Approach Road Taxes in Special Session?
Governor Jerry Brown called special sessions to find permanent revenue sources to fund transportation infrastructure and Medi-Cal. The issue of keeping up with deteriorating roads has been a special concern to the business community and Brown is counting on business help to support a revenue solution for the roads. But is business willing to use […]
It’s Today’s News: Pensions, Pensions, Pensions
Reading Friday’s news, I couldn’t help think of the union official who, sitting on a Capitol Weekly panel with me after the last General Election, said in response to my bringing up concerns on the pension issue: “That’s yesterday’s news.” Actually it is today’s news over and over and over again. In fact, there were three […]
Supreme Court Affirms Power of Initiative in Redistricting Case
The people can serve as legislators. In a 5-4 decision, the United States Supreme Court declared that an initiative by the voters to create a commission in Arizona to draw congressional districts was constitutional. California established a similar commission in 2008 when voters passed Proposition 11 and added congressional redistricting to the commission’s duties with […]
Serrano vs. Priest School Financing Case Pops Up in SB 277 Debate
It was a bit jarring to hear the numerous references to the California Supreme Court’s Serrano vs. Priest decisions of the 1970s taking a prominent roll in the passionate Assembly debate over SB 277, the measure to disallow personal belief and religious exemptions for mandated vaccinations of school children. Serrano vs. Priest had nothing to […]
Right & Left Squeeze Tax Reform Idea
Like a vice pressuring from both sides, interests on the political right and left are trying to crush the idea of reforming the California tax code by taxing services. That makes the prospects for success daunting. Sen. Bob Hertzberg, who is leading the effort, should at least be given credit for recognizing that California is […]
Court Support of AG on Initiative is Understandable
No one should overreact in defense of the initiative process to the court decision allowing the Attorney General to throw out an initiative that is reprehensible and clearly unconstitutional, but we must be sure that the decision is not a step in expanding the power of any official to determine if an initiative is or […]
A Lone Voice – Voting Against the Minimum Wage Hike in LA
City Councilman Mitchell Englander was the lone no vote against raising the minimum wage in Los Angeles to $15 an hour. It would be over the top to suggest his stand was akin to Gary Cooper in High Noon — one man standing against the threat to the town – but suffice it to say it […]
2018 Gov Race Highlights Political Panel
Republicans will have a serious, competitive candidate for governor in 2018, Republican consultant Kevin Spillane told a conference sponsored by the Civil Justice Association of California (CJAC) last week. Spillane was a member of a panel that discussed California’s Changing Electorate. Spillane’s certainty that Republicans will field a top candidate was summed up in one […]
Special Tax Sessions
In announcing the budget deal with the legislature, Governor Jerry Brown announced two special sessions to deal with transportation and Medi-Cal funding. Call them the Special Tax Sessions. In the press release announcing the sessions, the Governor stated that the sessions were to “find more adequate funding for our roads and health care programs.” The governor […]
Democrats’ Budget Betting on the Come
Passing the $117.5 billion budget along party lines, majority Democratic legislators are betting on the come – that revenue will be there to match expanded budget demands in the future. In another kind of bet dealing with sporting events, gamblers often wager whether the number of total points in a contest will be over or […]