There is little debate that California is a harsh, anti-taxpayer environment ruled by a tax-happy majority party. However, in this super-partisan environment that grips both California and the entire nation, it is important to point out when our political adversaries do something positive. In that spirit, let’s acknowledge what Gov. Gavin Newsom did right for […]
Cassandra of Greek mythology was blessed with the gift of prophecy and doomed by the curse that no one would ever believe her. Conservatives in California know just how she felt. California’s modern day Cassandras have repeatedly warned about the misuse and diversion of public funds for roads and highways. In no other area have […]
Anyone paying attention to California politics knows that our public pension funds are in big trouble. Notwithstanding a vibrant economy, both the California Public Employee Retirement System (CalPERS) and the California State Teachers Retirement System (CalSTRS) are tens of billions of dollars in debt. Unfunded liability, a fancy name for that debt, is not the […]
By Jon Coupal and Sharon Quirk-Silva | Prior to the passage of Proposition 13 in 1978, it was not uncommon for seniors on fixed incomes who had already paid off their mortgages to nonetheless lose their homes because they couldn’t afford to pay their property taxes. While Proposition 13 continues to protect millions of older […]
California’s 2019 legislative session recently came to a merciful end. Despite the fact that the Legislature passed dozens of bills assaulting basic economic rights, it could have been far worse for taxpayers. Indeed, in remarkably good news, the most dangerous threat to Proposition 13 was defeated. Proposition 13 has been called the third rail of […]
By Jon Coupal and Martin Wilson | The tools of direct democracy — initiative, referendum and recall — are a powerful check against intransigent or corrupt politicians. These powers are enshrined in the California Constitution for reasons that are just as compelling in 2019 as they were in 1911. That’s when Governor Hiram Johnson, seeking […]
In a victory for taxpayers, the Fresno Superior Court decided in favor of Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association on Thursday, ruling that special taxes proposed by a voter initiative are not exempt from the state constitution’s two-thirds vote requirement. At issue was Fresno’s Measure P, a sales tax initiative on the November 2018 ballot that proposed […]
It’s no secret that California, perhaps America’s most progressive state, is controlled by a political establishment openly hostile to the interests of taxpayers. Taxpayer victories over the state’s liberal power structure are rare, but they do happen. Last week, taxpayers prevailed in a long running lawsuit involving public funding for political campaigns. The dispute began […]
This past week a direct attack on Proposition 13 was resoundingly voted down by the California State Assembly. Assembly Constitutional Amendment 1 would have changed a key element of Prop. 13 by lowering the current two-thirds vote needed to pass local bonds and special taxes — including parcel taxes — to just 55 percent. Bond […]
Another week, another lie about Proposition 13. Recall that last week this column burst the bubble on the myth that schools are “starved” for revenue. This week’s narrative from the Prop. 13 opponents is that California’s high fees for building homes and commercial property is due to Proposition 13 denying local governments the ability to […]
