Don’t Repeal Prop 218
Within the body of Joe Mathews’ argument for repealing Proposition 218 he wrote for this site is the precise reason the taxpayer protection measure should continue to stand. Mathews states that the problem with restricting taxing power for local government is that local public officials become spenders but cannot match the liabilities they create with […]
You Thought Only Tax Increases would be on the 2016 Ballot
For months the assumption in Sacramento was that at least one and possibly more tax increase measures would find their way on the 2016 General Election ballot by initiative. The litany of possible tax increases just might have to move over to make room for a tax cut on the same ballot. The Howard Jarvis […]
Minimum Wage Debate L.A. Style
What if three different studies on the effects of a minimum wage increase in Los Angeles each came up with a different conclusion — who do you trust? That was a question asked at the Town Hall Los Angeles debate Thursday between Gary Toebben, President and CEO of the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce and […]
Marco Rubio Talks Generational Leadership Change for a New American Century
The biggest surprise I had when I listened to Florida senator and presidential candidate Marco Rubio at Town Hall Los Angeles Tuesday was that there was no mention of the immigration issue. In California, an epicenter of the immigration debate for decades, I expected someone to ask if Rubio’s view is changing or has changed […]
Market Forces Key to Managing Water Crisis
“California is short of water, but it’s flooded with headlines about the drought,” former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger said kicking off USC’s Schwarzenegger Institute and the Public Policy Institute of California program on the state’s drought. The goal of the program was to look at the truth behind the headlines and find some answers to deal […]
Acting Out the Minimum Wage Drama
“All the world’s a stage,” wrote William Shakespeare, and political theater on the hot topic of the minimum wage is playing out in smaller Los Angeles theaters. We’re not talking about minimum wage as the topic of a play, but minimum wage as the subject of who goes on stage. When the leadership of Actors […]
The California Introduction Machine
Much is made during presidential election periods that the state is merely an ATM machine for candidates. As a solid blue state that has not voted for a Republican for the White House since 1988, California is considered safe for whoever the Democratic nominee will be (we’re talking to you, Hillary Clinton.) Yet, candidates from […]
Business Interests and Pension Reform
As the battle over public pension reform heats up as Calpensions Ed Mendel explained last week, the question for California’s business community is will it get involved? A number of reasons have been offered to suggest business would stay on the sidelines if a pension reform initiative qualified for the ballot. The fear that such […]
Background: Misuse of Assessments and Fees Brought on Prop 218, which Took Down the Tiered Water Fee Plan
San Juan Capistrano’s water fee usage plan ran afoul of Proposition 218’s taxpayer shield to protect taxpayers from being charged taxes disguised as fees and assessments. The goal of the tiered water plan was designed as a financial punishment for those who use excessive amounts of water. However, the method the city chose violated Proposition […]
Don’t Rush to Make New Law
Politicians often overreact to news items, rushing to propose laws to prevent future occurrences of a situation or grab the limelight when problems will go away on their own. Recent instances: A proposal for a constitutional amendment to prohibit banning of the United States flag from state colleges and university property; and offering changes to […]