Proposition 15 Negatively Impacts Underserved Communities and the Unemployed throughout California
California holds the unwelcome distinction of having one of the highest poverty rates in the country. We also have some of the highest taxes in the country. In the middle of the worst economic downturn in generations, now is not the time for a massive tax increase that will only create more financial hardship for […]
What Our Split Roll Obsession Has Cost Us
Prop 15 isn’t new. It’s one of the oldest ideas in modern California politics. And the length of our pursuit of this small reform has cost us a lot, in time and opportunity. In fact, Democrats and spending lobbies have been pursuing a split roll since the 1980s. In 1992, a ballot initiative to split […]
The Roots of California’s Tattered Economy Were Planted Long Before the Coronavirus Arrived
California is in far worse shape economically than the great majority of other states also struggling through the pandemic. COVID-19 may be the primary cause of our current distress, but the evolving structure of our economy has exacerbated this calamity. The worst part is our state leaders should have known this all along. In September, […]
Stubborn Coronavirus Leads to Homelessness as Top Concern for LA County Businesses
The Los Angeles County Business Federation (BizFed) released data from its annual survey and produced a surprise in businesses’ top concern. Knocking taxes and fee as the top concern after nine consecutive years was the problem of homelessness. Three-quarters of the 371 businesses responding to the survey said that homelessness was an extremely critical concern. […]
Break Up Prop 19!
Revisiting the various ballot measures, I find myself thinking about Prop 19, and wondering whether it should be on the ballot at all. The legislature put it there. But that’s not the problem with it, at least in my view (I’m perfectly happy to see Propositions 16, 17, and 18 on the ballot). The issue […]
“Why Can’t I Get My Darn Unemployment Check”
(Latest in a series since March on the pandemic’s employment impacts, and rebuilding America’s job base. The previous ones are here.) For the past two months the media in California have been running daily variations of the theme “Why Can’t I Get My Darn Unemployment Check”. Unemployed Californians tell reporters about waiting 10 weeks or […]
Disney Now Not the Happiest Place
As if we needed it, the rift between the Walt Disney Co. and the California state government widened last week, with one exasperated Disney executive blasting the state’s new restrictions that will prevent Disneyland from reopening probably until next summer – and then at 25 percent capacity. Disney has safely reopened its famous theme parks […]
Poll: Voters Agree that Proposition 15 is First Step in Undoing Prop 13 for Homeowners
UC Berkeley’s Institute of Government Studies’ (IGS) poll asked voters if Proposition 15, the initiative to raise taxes on commercial property, would be the first step in making “similar” changes in the Proposition 13 property tax restrictions for homes. Voters agreed by a solid 56% to 19% margin with 25% undecided. While Proposition 15 enjoys […]
California’s Political Poison Oozes East
Gavin Newsom says California is “America on fast forward.” Heaven help America. Newsom was referring to what he believes are the effects of man-made global warming while taking in the damage of the North Complex fire last month. But his comments are consistent with the long-accepted notion that the state is America’s lodestar. Its present […]
So far, no surprises with early voting in California
“Early voting” is this campaign cycle’s latest obsession, especially with the chattering pundits of the national media. With more than 60 million ballots already cast nationwide and growing, what impact will early voting have on the presidential race? Who does it help in the battleground states? Will it be the decisive factor? But in California, […]