Paradise Post reports on the positions State Senator Jim Nielsen and Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association have taken against the "Fire Prevention Fee." Dubbing it the "fire tax", they argue it is not a fee, but actually an illegal tax on the residents of unincorporated areas, passed by a simple majority in violation of Proposition 26.

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The Sacramento Bee reports on a new study by the California Public Policy Center that shows California's state and local governments are at least $648 billion in debt and the total could surpass $1.1 trillion.

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The Los Angeles Times reports California's proposed high speed rail is about to face new challenges coming from a private railroad that controls a key right of way, a legislative committee delving into contracting issues and a powerful federal agency asserting authority over the project, all of which could delay the proposed groundbreaking, itself having already been delayed more than six months.

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Crazifornia author Laer Pearce questions the decision to award the contract for the first leg of the high speed rail project to Perini-Zachary-Parsons, not only due to Tutor Perini's history of questionable business practices, but it turns out Senator Feinstein's husband Richard Blum is a principle owner in the company.

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Ed Morrissey of Hot Air reports on the findings of a new study by the non-partisan Tax Policy Center showing that while 86% of the tax increases in President Obama's new budget would be borne by people earning $200,000 or more a year, some people earning between $100,000 and $200,000 a year would also pay about $150 more, while some earning less than $100,000 a year would pay less than $100 in additional taxes.

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