California Commentary

Stop Giving Ammo to the Enemy

Jon Coupal — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 05:29:10 -0800

The reported instances of waste, fraud and abuse of our taxpayer dollars are so common now, it takes a lot to shock us. And regular readers of this column know that a pet peeve of those of us at HJTA is when government spends taxpayer dollars to either directly engage in political advocacy or to spend money on a bloated public relations budget. Read more >>

We're All Mad Here

Jon Coupal — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 20:21:56 -0700

When the Cheshire Cat told Alice, "We're all mad here," he could have been expressing how two of California's most prominent officials view voters.

In a recent San Francisco speech, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger told a group of educators that the term limits law -- Proposition 140 approved by voters in 1990 -- was "crazy." Read more >>

It's Scary Season for Homeowners

Jon Coupal — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 19:41:20 -0700

When you start to see jack-o'-lanterns around the neighborhood, you know that something scary is about to arrive at your house. That's right, it's property tax season.

Fortunately, as a direct result of Proposition 13, which limits increases in a property's assessed value to two percent annually, most property owners have a good idea what their bill will be even before opening the envelope. Still, every year at this time, the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association recommends that taxpayers carefully examine their latest property tax bill. Although not common, assessors do make mistakes. Read more >>

Over-Regulation Hurting All Californians

Jon Coupal — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 22:14:10 -0700

When Illinois Senator Everett Dirksen remarked a half-century ago, "A billion here, a billion there, pretty soon it adds up to real money," it was said with a sense of irony. I offer this clarification because a billion dollars no longer has the impact that it once had. Now with a former senator from Illinois occupying the White House, the federal government is throwing trillions of dollars around as if it were nickels. Read more >>

Prop. 13 Was the Reaction, Not the Cause, of California's Dysfunction

Jon Coupal — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 22:55:44 -0700

Last week, The Sacramento Bee published a three part series entitled "Going Broke." It was an earnest attempt by reporters Steve Wiegand and Phillip Reese to determine the genesis of California's financial crisis. But like so many other discussions about the demise of California's exceptionality, it began its review with the enactment of Proposition 13. Read more >>

Gifts to Lawmakers Are a Slap at Taxpayers

Jon Coupal — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 04:51:17 -0700

Two years ago, when then Assemblywoman Sally Lieber introduced a bill to prohibit the spanking of children, she was ridiculed for what many Californians considered to be frivolous legislation. In light of recent revelations of the "S & M" tinged escapades of a married, middle-aged lawmaker and one or more lobbyists, some capitol observers are wondering if Lieber should have targeted an older demographic. Read more >>

'Mushroom' Bills Schwarzenegger Should Veto

Jon Coupal — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 03:43:20 -0700

If insanity is defined as doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result, then the California Legislature is indeed an "institution" in more than one sense of the word. Any notion that, because of the recession and related budget crisis, the Legislature would finally "get it" and become fiscally prudent and transparent, is dashed on the rocks of political reality. Read more >>

It's Always Open Season on Prop. 13

Jon Coupal — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 21:22:59 -0700

Not long ago, a major California newspaper ran an editorial cartoon depicting pith-helmeted explorers peering through jungle growth at a crumbling temple where worshipers bow down before a stone alter on which is carved, "Prop. 13." One of the explorers is saying to the other, "I believe we've stumbled upon the origins of the demise of California's civilization."

At the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, founded by the principle author of Proposition 13, we are accustomed to seeing attacks running from dubious to frivolous on the landmark 1978 tax limitation initiative. Read more >>

HJTA-Sponsored Bill Provides Transparency in Assessment Elections

Jon Coupal — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 11:57:44 -0700

Imagine an election where a proposal to increase taxes is declared by the taxing agency to have passed with fewer than 70 votes after the agency disqualified more than 1,500 ballots that would have swung the election the other way. Then imagine that the decision to invalidate these ballots was made by the agency after opening them and seeing how they had voted. Read more >>

The Bond Bomb

Jon Coupal — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 04:59:56 -0700

The rapidly approaching impact that state and local debt will have on government services and taxpayers is likely to be as subtle as a suicide bomber's belt of C-4 explosive.

Highly regarded political pundit Dan Walters has compared our state's debt situation to both Enron, "which cooked its books to fool investors and lenders," and a "Third World country whose rulers run up a mountain of debt while squandering revenues." Read more >>