A Woman Running for President
Not that woman! Judith Rhodes, Governor of California. OK, here’s the disclaimer – this is a shameless self-promotion for my new novel, The Mark on Eve. A spell cast by an 18th century witch has condemned Eve Hale to an endless life. Centuries later, her secret could unravel and doom the election of the first […]
Governors Wilson and Davis View Environmental Laws Differently
Town Hall Los Angeles hosted a discussion between former California governors Pete Wilson and Gray Davis yesterday with the two disagreeing over environmental law regulations and touching on other policy issues and state politics. Wilson argued that the reason California had both the highest taxes and the highest poverty rates in the country is because […]
BOE Study on Service Taxes Sets Off Debate
Just in time for Tax Day, the Board of Equalization issued a study requested by the Senate Committee on Governance and Finance estimating the revenue take from taxing untaxed services would be $122.6 billion. The study will become fodder in the coming debate over Senator Bob Hertzberg’s effort to restructure the state tax system to […]
Humor and History on Tax Day
“April is the month when the green returns to the lawn, the trees, — and the Internal Revenue Service.” So observed Evan Esar, a collector of humorous sayings who understood that humor is the ultimate therapy. All of us need this therapy now that tax time is here. Fortunately, a rich vein of humor and […]
Steve Glazer, Blazing a Trail
A Democrat will be elected in the Senate District 7 special election next month but depending on which Democrat is elected the result could change the course of California political history. Steve Glazer, the Orinda mayor and former Jerry Brown advisor is a life long Democrat who stands for many issues the California Democratic Party […]
Extending Prop 30 by Camouflage
What if the attempt to extend Prop 30 was disguised as a slightly different measure – would that take the onus off of the promise that a “temporary” tax is continuing? That’s one discussion going on in Sacramento. Prop 30 was sold to the voters as a temporary tax in 2012. It starts disappearing next […]
Democratic Immigrant Protection Bills Don’t Solve Poverty Problem
Legislative Democrats heralded a package of bills they purport to aid and protect undocumented immigrants. Acknowledging the humanitarian concern behind the package, the plan will do little to help immigrants achieve the American Dream if something isn’t done to provide middle class jobs. Without them, many immigrants here and those attracted by California ‘s largesse […]
Jerry Brown, the Farmers’ Friend
Jerry Brown 1.0 stood up to farmers 40 years ago while Jerry Brown 2.0 is standing up for farmers during the current drought crisis. In 1975, to the consternation of many framers, Brown signed the Agricultural Labor Relations Act allowing collective bargaining by farm workers. In 2015, Brown’s mandated 25 percent cutback on water usage […]
CA Following Massachusetts Model When It Comes To Voters & Voting?
New statistics show a big jump in “no party preference” voters in California while registration in both major political parties has declined. While this change in voter registration mirrors some national trends, California may be heading boldly in the direction of another thickly populated blue state – Massachusetts. In California the recent report from the […]
Finding the Power to Get Fresh Water from the Ocean
It’s April, for most part the rainy season is over and the severe California drought lingers. Beyond strict conservation, other ideas once considered fanciful or too expensive are back on the table. We’ll skip past the idea of towing an iceberg, as I previously referenced — something endorsed by the California legislature decades ago — […]