In August, the Fair Political Practices Commission imposed one of the largest fines in its history against Los Angeles County for using taxpayer funds to advocate for a ballot measure it had placed on the ballot. Measure H was a massive sales tax increase, ostensibly for homeless programs. That same illegal behavior resulted in a […]
It’s a sign of desperation. When anyone in politics starts making wild claims less than a month before an election, you know something is amiss. So it is with the proponents of Proposition 15, the “split roll” initiative which would impose the largest property tax increase in California history. Throughout this campaign, proponents have consistently […]
Examples of how California’s one-party rule has us sliding ever closer to third world status become more frequent with every passing week. From a governor who issues a sweeping executive order banning gasoline powered vehicles to record levels of poverty and rampant homelessness, it is now difficult to distinguish much of California from Venezuela. One-party […]
Voter interest in the 12 measures appearing on the November ballot is growing as election day gets closer. This is particularly true with Proposition 15, driven, no doubt, by the media attention and the amount of spending by both sides on political advertising. No one disputes that Proposition 15 would be the largest property tax […]
It’s no secret that ballot initiatives can be confusing, but Proposition 19 takes obfuscation to a whole new level. Voters can’t be blamed if they can’t remember whether Prop. 19 is the initiative that is a massive property tax hike or the measure that actually has something good for homeowners or the initiative that has […]
Of the many propositions that voters must decide this November, one of the most contentious is Proposition 15, also known as the split roll initiative. One of the arguments advanced by the proponents is that it won’t have any impact on homeowners because it just raises property taxes on commercial and industrial properties. Can the […]
On Wednesday of last week, the California Supreme Court declined to hear a case involving the validity of a local special tax initiative that failed to secure two-thirds voter approval. That requirement is found in Proposition 13 (1978) as well as Proposition 218 (1996), also known as the Right to Vote on Taxes Act, both […]
The California Legislature either didn’t read or ignored my column from last week on the toxic effects of one-party rule because, shortly thereafter, it held what can only be described as a dumpster fire of a last day of session. Then again, that would be an insult to dumpster fires. Or, as Sen. Melissa Melendez, […]
According to U.S. Census Bureau projections, California will lose at least one seat in the U.S. House of Representatives after the 2020 Census. This is because the total number of representatives is fixed at 435 and allocated to population. This zero-sum game means that states with decreasing or static population will lose, and states with […]
Last Thursday, the Fair Political Practices Commission imposed one of the largest fines ever against Los Angeles County for using taxpayer funds for political ads touting Measure H, a sales tax increase on the ballot in 2017. The action by the FPPC was precipitated by a complaint filed by the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association. The […]
