Prioritizing Small Business
“Taxes on capital, taxes on labor, inflation, bureaucratic regulation, minimum wage laws, are all – to different degrees – unnecessary slices of the wedge that stand between an individual’s effort and reward for that effort.” – Jack Kemp During Governor Newsom’s November 16th press conference, where he announced that he would pull the “emergency brake” […]
CalChamber poll (Part 2): Voters crave sensible policies, no new taxes
Yesterday we reported that Californians are taking the Covid-19 pandemic seriously, and expect their elected leaders to do the same. But the pandemic isn’t the only issue troubling Californians. The cost of living remains a profound concern. When asked if their family would have a better future if they left California, a stunning 54 percent […]
Talking Turkey about So-called Lawsuit Abuse
Around the Capitol and throughout California, people always ask us, “Exactly what is Thanksgiving dinner like for the Kabateck family?” The answer to that question may lie in a closer look of the article published in this publication on Nov. 11 by my brother, John, entitled “In 2020, California lawmakers failed to protect Californians against […]
From Wildfires to Drought to Floods, Californians Seek Relief from Weather Whiplash – Farmers Can Help
Californians rightfully feel they are living at the epicenter of the globe’s changing weather patterns. Following a crushing 5-year drought, 2017 and 2019 brought torrential rain and flooding. And 2020 is already on record as the worst fire season in recorded California history. The good news is that California farmers lead the nation in innovative, […]
Business and Jobs Task Force Quits Ahead of Likely Additional Business and Job Closures
It is more than ironic that the governor’s Task Force on Business and Jobs Recovery closed down just as businesses and workers face the prospect of more restrictions and closures with a surge of the coronavirus. The task force was introduced with great fanfare in April but ended with a press release on Friday, the […]
CalChamber poll (Part 1): Voters serious about addressing pandemic consequences
Californians are taking the Covid-19 pandemic seriously, and expect their elected leaders to do the same. The sixth annual CalChamber poll, The People’s Voice, 2020, found that voters are keenly aware of the widespread effects of the pandemic. Nearly half of all voters have suffered an economic impact: reduced work hours, lost job, pay cut, […]
Enough Dead to Fill Forest Lawn
If you’re having a hard time processing the scale of death produced by the COVID-19 pandemic, here’s a California alternative for wrapping your mind around the carnage: Visit the largest, prettiest cemetery you can find. I recommend the original Forest Lawn, in Glendale, the most Californian of cemeteries. I recently walked the 290 acres of […]
Revenue windfall creates political dilemma
As Gov. Gavin Newsom makes the final decisions on writing a 2021-22 budget, he’s receiving some good revenue news from his beancounters. During the first four months of the 2020-21 budget cycle, which began on July 1, state general fund revenues were more than $11 billion higher than the apocalyptic estimates on which the budget […]
Major Issue Behind Prop 15 Ignored During Campaign
An expensive, high profile proposition campaign was played out over many months leading to the November election and nary a word was spoken by either side on one of the chief underlying reasons that the measure existed. In large part, Proposition 15, the business property tax increase, was about public employee pensions. Pension costs are […]
Where California Stands with Women in the Legislature
California is poised to send more women representatives to the highest levels of federal government, with vice-president-elect Kamala Harris and the re-election to the House of speaker Nancy Pelosi. Women have represented California in the US Senate since 1993 through Dianne Feinstein, Barbara Boxer, and Harris. And women hold leadership positions across state chambers—Toni Atkins […]