Regular readers of this column undoubtedly know what Proposition 13 is, but they may not know it does more than set property taxes at 1% of the home’s …
California Commentary
Newsom budget: The good, the bad and the ugly
The governor’s budget is a tale of the good, the bad and the ugly. We won’t see a real state budget until it emerges from the smoke-filled backroom …
Rewarding failure in the K-12 system
California spends a lot on education. Ever since the passage of Proposition 98 in 1988, which guarantees to education a minimum of 40% of the general …
Inflation is a tax on us all
Pinned on my office wall is a Zimbabwe $10,000,000,000,000 note. (That’s 10 trillion for those of you tired of counting zeroes). The currency is real, …
Setting aside all the bah humbug
A little-known fact about Howard Jarvis is that, long before achieving fame as the author of Proposition 13, he ran for the United States Senate in …
Lack of money isn’t California’s problem
California’s rate of education spending continues its rapid escalation but expected increases in performance remain lagging. While taxpayers are doing …
Beware of California’s obscene budget surplus
Here’s a cautionary tale for California politicians who think voters will forever tolerate rising taxes as Sacramento swims in budget …
Court approves lying to voters to pass bonds
If ever voters needed a reason to vote no on every single bond measure that appears on the ballot, here it is: The Court of Appeal for Third Appellate …
The SALT fight is coming to a head
In April, this column reported on the great SALT controversy and how it impacts California taxpayers. SALT stands for “state and local taxes,” and for …
Can taxpayers be grateful this Thanksgiving?
As inflation takes a bigger bite out of your turkey than you do, it may be hard to find reasons to be grateful. But the truth is we still have much to …