Despite Californians having made their will known on the ballot, an emboldened Democrat governor and supermajority in the Legislature are trying to circumvent the initiative process. In the last month, Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an executive order ending the death penalty. In the Legislature, Assembly Democrats presented a package of housing bills, with one of […]
Energized by a supermajority in the California State Legislature, two state senate Democrats are looking to lower the voting threshold for parcel taxes from a two-thirds majority to 55 percent. At the same time, the Los Angeles Unified School District is hoping to pass a 12-year parcel tax that would generate as much as $500 […]
Enjoying a supermajority in both chambers of the Legislature, as well as an ambitious governor, California Democrats are considering taxes and fees on soda, tire changes, dialysis clinics, lead-acid batteries, drinking water, firearms, and oil and gas. In the wake of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s plan to provide universal healthcare, cheaper college, and expanded housing, revenue […]
In an effort to find money to pay for the Los Angeles school strike settlement, LAUSD has placed a parcel tax on the June 4 ballot designed to charge 16 cents per square foot of building space. Joel Fox, writing for the Los Angeles Daily News, argues that not only will this fail to solve […]
As a result of the state’s poor enforcement on vacation accrual, an increasing number of state workers are being able to cash massive payouts when they retire. Melody Gutierrez, of the Los Angeles Times, writes that this could lead to massive budget issues during the next recession, when lawmakers will still be obligated to continue […]
Under the guise of improving the lives of all Californians, state legislators are considering a host of new taxes and regulations that would further infringe on people’s lives. Among the new bills up for consideration are a tax on soda, a restriction on the size of drinking cups, and a statewide ban on the sale […]
In an effort to diversify the state’s tax revenues, California lawmakers are coming up with innovative new ways to tax the energy industry, which will inevitably harm blue collar workers. Up for consideration are a number of bills, including an oil and gas severance tax, a strategy for zero-emission vehicles, and a Split Roll tax […]
The California Supreme Court has released a decision that allows California government agencies to alter secondary retirement benefits offered to public workers, while avoiding the question of whether public employers could alter core pension rights. Unions and government agencies portrayed the case as a test of the “California Rule”, a group of legal rulings that […]
Recently proposed legislation would impose new taxes and fees for recycling programs. While one of the main ostensible reasons for this proposal is to reduce plastic waste in the ocean, research has found over 90 percent of ocean debris consisted not of the bags and packaging targeted by lawmakers but of larger objects such as […]
California already has among the nation’s highest gas taxes, but a new proposal to raise taxes on oil could make the situation even worse. Critics of the proposal warn the tax increase would be an additional burden on California motorists and could cost jobs, reports the LA Times. Click here to read the article.
