Many of those under 50 do not remember tax revolt leader Howard Jarvis, who passed away 30 years ago, and yet, perhaps unknowingly, they are …
California Commentary
TAXPORTATION PART 2: Response to Will Kempton
Last week’s column presented the case for strong opposition to any new transportation taxes in California. But on Thursday, the Executive Director of …
TAXPORTATION: Profligate Waste Negates Justification for Transportation Tax Hike
A personal digression: My father was head of the Iowa Department of Transportation (then called the Iowa Highway Commission) in the late '60s and …
Budget Primer for California Citizen Taxpayers
Average taxpayers in California are probably aware that the state budget was in the news again over the weekend. But even folks who follow both …
Just Four Weeks to Go
It’s election season and the media has made certain that voters’ attention has been focused on the presidential primaries. But there are hundreds of …
Will Average Californians Get Help from Sacramento?
So much of what comes out of the Capitol hurts average Californians. Efforts to impose new taxes, onerous regulations or laws that dictate lifestyle …
Breaking Good?
Those who value liberty, good government and a reasonable level of taxation have a lot to complain about if they are citizens of California. Not only …
Billions in New Bonds Should Not Escape Voter Approval
Former Speaker Willie Brown once said, “In the world of civic projects, the first budget is really just a down payment.” The strategy, he noted, was …
New Ways to Spend ‘OPM’ (Other Peoples’ Money)
An earlier edition of this column focused on government waste due to gross mismanagement and fraud on the part of California state and local …
Why Average Citizens Don’t Count in Sacramento
For average Californians, the news out of Sacramento is seldom good. Finding ways to increase the tax burden, eliminate the taxpayer protections in …