Counting the Vote in CA and More Trump Books
What’s the impact of all the Trump books? We examine whether anyone other than politics addicts care when so many Americans are busy worrying about the pandemic. We also look at how Joe Biden is handling his media face off against Donald Trump, Most important, there’s growing concern over counting the vote. In California, extensive […]
An Unexpected Last Minute Legislative Boost for Small Business
Talk to business leaders who dealt with the legislature over the past few months and they often expressed frustration that the legislature, while understandably focusing on employee concerns, were giving businesses short shrift. But at the last minute, a gut-and-amend bill did move ahead to give small businesses a boost to help them rebound from […]
Legislative Fumble
The California Legislature fumbled a chance to boost economic recovery in the state by choosing the easy path: business-as-usual. Facing the three horsemen of the CApocalypse – pandemic, economic collapse, and social unrest – the Legislature instead took refuge in the warm embrace of its special interests, legislating as if millions of residents weren’t jobless […]
California Democrats And Communism
California Democrats seem to have a problem with communists. Rep. Karen Bass of Los Angeles was on the Biden short list for vice president until her praise of “commandante Fidel” came out, and Democrats fearing the loss of anti-Castro Florida dropped her from contention. That was followed by the bizarre praise of communist leader Ho […]
Sacramento’s misguided attacks on single-family housing
“Honest question,” a housing activist wrote to me on Twitter, “since you mention the ‘impacts to all’ of housing policy, what do you say to someone who wants to live in Pasadena but can’t afford $875K to live here (or $3K/month in rent)?” The topic of discussion was Senate Bill 1120, a housing bill that […]
A Fire Season Like No Other
A California fire season like no other likely could get worse with the prediction of high winds blowing across the state. Some statewide and local political campaigns might try to gain an advantage by tying ballot measures to fire response needs, but timing will determine if they have any hope of success. As suggested here […]
There Are Many Reasons to VOTE NO on Proposition 15
Proposition 15 is on this November’s ballot, and if passed, would repeal portions of the famous 1978, Proposition 13 which altered the way property taxes are collected in California. Before Proposition 13, there was an asymmetrical relationship between income and property taxes. Taxes could increase on your property, while your income did not, because the […]
Why the 2020 Election Will be Decided in Suburbia
American politics is increasingly about dueling geographies. Democrats have become the party of the nation’s cities, while the Republican Party finds its base in rural, small town and low-density exurban America, places of less extreme class divisions than the big cities, but also with less diversity and a smaller share of the population. Yet the […]
Best businesses to support when trying to reduce your carbon footprint in California
California has a history of being at the forefront of environmental movements, with many businesses continuing this tradition today through their sustainable practices. Whether it’s the materials selected to manufacture their products, a reduction in carbon emissions or a “green” ethos in their businesses practices, there’s a diversity of ways they are attracting consumers who […]
Death Throes for AB 5?
The exemption arrows have found their mark in the Achilles heel of AB 5, the controversial and highly contested worker classification law. On Friday, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed AB 2257 by Assemblymember Lorena Gonzalez adding many more exemptions to the law that now total over 100. Ironically, it was Gonzalez who created AB 5 with […]