For Local Governments, To Tax or Not to Tax, That is the Question
Against the background of the economically devastating coronavirus plague (not in any way to minimize the ultimate tragedy now of lives lost), governments are trying figure out how to handle their lifeblood–taxation. The feds put off income tax collection until July 15. The state of California did the same. Meanwhile, there has been pressure to […]
California Should Lead the Covid response
America, I see you flailing—and failing—to respond to this pandemic. Why don’t you just let California handle it? No joke. In normal times, you wouldn’t want Californians running anything. While we are strong at creating culture and technology, our elected leaders typically struggle to manage schools, housing, and traffic. In our personal lives, Californians famously […]
Our “Splendid Isolation!”
Californians alive then and others on the East Coast can still remember the black-outs that were ordered after the infamous attack on our troops at Pearl Harbor which cost thousands of lives. As a nation far removed from the wars already long raging in Europe we did not see a need to bunker down in […]
Can flexible work help save the planet?
Until shelter in place orders are lifted, COVID-19 is causing a revolution in how we work. A “massive work from home experiment” is right now underway according to a recent ABC News report. This experiment may equate to our society test-driving a new flexible work model with the potential to dramatically reduce carbon emissions, without […]
How Will Coronavirus Impact the Property Tax Increase Initiative?
The new effort to raise property taxes in California took a giant step forward with the filing of signatures on an initiative last week as the state is suffering the effects of the COVID-19 crisis. The measure calls for increasing property taxes on commercial properties (called a split roll) at a time when there is […]
New Bill Would Add Exemptions to AB 5
AB 5, which was enacted last fall, codified the “ABC Test” pursuant to the California Supreme Court’s Dynamex decision. AB 5 also contains 57 different exemptions for specified professions. While nearly three dozen measures in the Assembly and Senate would create additional exemptions, SB 900 was recently amended to add 12 exemptions. SB 900 […]
Sacramento Transit Authority, This is No Time to Move Ahead with a Tax Increase
Over the last month, the country has come to a complete standstill. In early March, at least ten California counties, including Sacramento, ordered their residents to “shelter in place” due to COVID-19: no one is to leave their place of residence except for absolute necessities. Soon after, Governor Gavin Newsom extended a shelter-in-place order to […]
Coronavirus and Politics
The Inside Golden State Politics podcast examines how the Coronavirus is changing politics and policy making. It has has shifted power and influence to state and local political leaders such as California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Gov. Andrew Cuomo of New York as well as Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti. They seized the opportunity to […]
Coronavirus Crisis Brings Out Newspapers Importance–and Vulnerabilities
News sites have pushed most everything aside to report and explain the pandemic that has hit the planet. But despite this service, because of the economic downfall accompanying the virus, newspapers are in jeopardy. While the image of broadcast media dominating the news-cycle is keyed by the daily televised press conferences of public officials, newspapers […]