Government and the Housing Crisis: Less Not More Involvement Needed
California elected officials proclaim a housing crisis is upon us. Like a plague of locusts, they say the problem was unforeseen and it deserves government’s attention. Frankly, an argument can be made that the state’s housing markets have for decades been overrun by bureaucrats and state lawmakers and now it’s time for government to reverse […]
Aiming for Supermajority, California Democrats Play Trump Card
The one shred of power Republicans hold in the California statehouse—enough seats to block Democratic lawmakers from a “supermajority”—is on the brink in this election. Already California is one of only seven states in which Democrats control the legislature and the governor’s office (as compared to 23 states where the GOP holds both). Here, Republicans […]
In California, Taxes Are Almost Always Temporary
It’s the talking point that won’t die: that California’s temporary taxes aren’t really temporary. It’s an argument usually offered by the anti-tax crowd when they’re opposing some tax hike proposals. You just can’t trust those “temporary” tax proposals, they say, because no taxes are ever temporary. That is nonsense. In California, the opposite is true. […]
How Would President Hillary Affect California?
Should Hillary Clinton be elected president on Nov. 8, how would that affect California? 1– National recession. As Ambrose Evans-Pritchard just reported in the Telegraph, “The risk of a US recession next year is rising fast. The Federal Reserve has no margin for error. Liquidity is suddenly drying up. Early warning indicators from US ‘flow […]
Final Legislative Tally for Small Business: Challenges Ahead in 2017
As the leading voice of small business in California, NFIB has been front and center this legislative session advocating for and against bills which would have significant impacts on our struggling small businesses across the state. In my three decades working in politics, I don’t think I’ve seen a legislative session pass such a high […]
California’s Governors Should Send Their Kids To Public Schools
Citizens feel confident President Obama would never move himself and his family to another country for their safety. National security is the #1 presidential responsibility. Citizens expect presidents to experience the consequences of their leadership in that regard. In California, K-12 education is the #1 gubernatorial responsibility. It’s the first and largest category in the Governor’s […]
Anne Gust Brown for Attorney General
Gov. Jerry Brown’s best choice for attorney general – an appointment he must make after Kamala Harris’ election to the U.S. Senate — is obvious: his wife, Anne Gust Brown. Call it nepotism if you want. But Anne Gust Brown is highly qualified. She not only had a distinguished career as a lawyer. But she […]
LA Times is hurting small business by getting the facts wrong
Last week, the LA Times produced two days of opinion articles about new legislation that it deemed “truly terrible” and “sloppy.” What is this new law plaguing Californians and deserving so much ink in a major metropolitan paper? It’s common sense protections for consumers of signed collectibles – a market full of fraud. It affords the same protections that have […]
Tom Hayden
The first time I saw Tom Hayden he was running in the 1976 primary for the United States Senate to displace fellow Democrat John Tunney. I was relatively new to California. It was in the San Francisco area. Hayden was campaigning, walking down the street with a group of young campaign supporters advancing him, announcing […]
Local Governments Rigging Elections
With all the state and local taxes on the November ballot, one would think that government at all levels in California was starved for revenue. But even a cursory review of the Golden State’s “tax machine” reveals that the tax burden is already too heavy for many to bear. California has the highest income rate […]