Remember when San Diego was known as “America’s Finest City”? Back then, it was the model of good governance with competent political leadership under …
California Commentary
Is the bullet train hungry for property taxes?
A wonderful children’s poem by Shel Silverstein is about Hungry Mungry, a sad soul with an unquenchable appetite. It starts like this: “Hungry Mungry …
Will more businesses split from California over Tom Steyer’s split roll threat?
When compared to other states, there are very few favorable metrics for businesses in California. The tax and regulatory burdens are heavy and much of …
Justice Newsom vs. Governor Newsom: The battle over Prop. 13’s legacy
The decision by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors to pursue another sales tax is just the latest example of fiscal irresponsibility by …
Sacramento wants to hide information about the bullet train
No matter how much we wish we could avoid writing about California’s High Speed Rail Project, sometimes circumstances give us no choice. The …
Why LA’s ‘mansion tax’ is the best argument for statewide tax reform
Later this week, proponents of the Local Taxpayer Protection Act to Save Prop. 13 initiative will submit over 1 million signatures to county election …
What if bankruptcy is the only viable solution for California?
There are some very smart people who believe that California has already fallen off the fiscal cliff and that it’s too far gone to be saved. A great …
Local sales tax hikes coming soon across California
As this column has noted on numerous occasions, California’s state sales tax rate of 7.25% is the highest in the nation. When the local sales tax …
Why does California even bother with a budget?
Understandably, very few citizens of California follow closely the state budget process which, for the 2026-27 fiscal year, just kicked off with the …
California’s cost of living illustrated
It has been said that a picture is worth a thousand words. One can attempt to describe Yosemite Valley verbally, but other than being there, a …