April, 2011SB 34: Creature Crawls from Delta LagoonFriday, April 29th, 2011 APRIL 29, 2011 By WAYNE LUSVARDI A bureaucratic creature has crawled from murky waters of the Sacramento Delta. What could be worse? The pork-laden $11 billion proposed California Water Bond, on the ballot in 2012, that does not include any new water storage and would usurp control of wate... Brutal Tax Assault on Internet SalesThursday, April 28th, 2011 APRIL 28, 2011 By JOHN SEILER California's tax-increase cult is lobbying to grab every last dollar it can tax -- the future of the state be damned. The drumbeat is daily. I wrote yesterday how all three top Los Angeles Times columnists came out, simultaneously, for higher taxes. Even as I w... Court Knocks Out Eminent DomainThursday, April 28th, 2011 APRIL 28, 2011 By WAYNE LUSVARDI Chalk up one knockout punch for the little guys who oppose eminent-domain abuse. National City in San Diego County blew a $2 million hole in its General Fund budget due to a $7 million decline in sales taxes mainly as a result of declining auto and lumber sa... Greenhut-Berardino Debate on PensionsWednesday, April 27th, 2011APRIL 27, 2011 By JOHN SEILER It was the Great Pension Debate. Yesterday Steven Greenhut, editor-in-chief of CalWatchDog.com, debated Nick Berardino, general manager of the Orange County Employees Association, a government union. It was held at the Pacific Club in Newport Beach and sponsored b... High-Speed Rail Crashes Into LegislatureWednesday, April 27th, 2011 APRIL 27, 2011 By KATY GRIMES The costs and the legislation for the California High-Speed Rail Authority keep speeding toward a train wreck. When the voters of California approved Proposition 1A in November 2008, they authorized $9.95 billion in general obligation bonds to fund a high-speed... The Return of Bilingual Ed Plague?Tuesday, April 26th, 2011 APRIL 26, 2011 By JOHN SEILER Bilingual education may be creeping back in California. Yesterday's Los Angeles Times included an op-ed by Ruben Martinez, a professor of literature and writing at Loyola Marymount University, about a new bilingual ed program at the public school his children wi... CA Legislators Hustle More Tax BillsMonday, April 25th, 2011 APRIL 25, 2011 By KATY GRIMES With another poll out today saying that voters want to vote on Gov. Jerry Brown's tax extension increases, the media are mum about the many other tax bills slithering through the Legislature which would greatly increase every taxpayer's total tax bill. Highlig... Elites and People Divided on TaxesMonday, April 25th, 2011 APRIL 25, 2011 By WAYNE LUSVARDI Only 9 percent of respondents to a new Los Angeles Times-USC Dornsife opinion poll said that they wanted taxes increased to solve the state budget crisis. But that was not what the Times reported in the headline to their story, which read: “Californians su... Why Republicans Hate Tax IncreasesFriday, April 22nd, 2011 APRIL 22, 2011 By JOHN SEILER Republicans are ridiculing President Obama's call to increase taxes on the rich. And in California, so far Republicans in the Legislature have resisted siren calls to join Gov. Jerry Brown and the Democratic legislators to back tax increases, or even to put tax... Redevelopment Blights The Golden StateFriday, April 22nd, 2011This article was first printed in the Spring 2011 issue of City Journal. APRIL 22, 2011 By STEVEN GREENHUT In Sacramento, Governor Jerry Brown is planning to close California’s $26.6 billion structural deficit through spending cuts and tax extensions. Opposition has been spirited but less... |