Budget and Finance
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Budget Tax Rhetoric Ignores Jobs
JUNE 13, 2011 By JOHN SEILER The NBA season is over. But a full-court press is on by Gov. Jerry Brown and the tax-increase forces in the Legislature and government-employee unions to increase taxes $9 billion. In his video address
Read MoreBridge Tax Fails; Local Tax Passes
JUNE 13, 2011 By KATY GRIMES In the California Senate Friday, after a week of budget talks and hearings, the “bridge” tax extensions failed — for now. If passed, the tax extensions theoretically would balance the state budget until voters
Read MoreStockton SWAT Raid Over Student Loans
JUNE 10, 2011 By JOHN SEILER Editor’s note: This article was rewritten to reflect more recent information, which corrected some of what was reported. The evidence that America now is a full-blown police state keeps pouring in. Governments short of
Read MoreDems, GOP Butt Heads on Budget, Taxes
JUNE 9, 2011 By KATY GRIMES Budget showdown time. Rumors have been swarming through the Capitol this week over budget issues. Talk of which legislators might agree to a budget seems to be a moot point, as most budget trailer
Read MoreTeachers' unions locking parent trigger
JUNE 8, 2011 This article was first published in City Journal California. By BEN BOYCHUK California’s landmark parent-empowerment law, passed last year, is one of the state’s few bright spots in education. But the law is under assault on multiple
Read MoreCA Internet Tax Would Hit Small Business
JUNE 7, 2011 By KATY GRIMES Instead of working on making cuts to a growing state government, California lawmakers have been dreaming up new ways to get the state’s residents to pony up more tax money, or “revenue,” as it
Read MoreBrown Cut Only 1% of School “Earmarks”
JUNE 7, 2011 By WAYNE LUSVARDI The word “mandate” sounds like something absolutely essential and mandatory. However, when it comes to school funding “mandates” in California, it is no guarantee that what is being described is an essential job or
Read MoreBill Would Mandate Union Teacher Jobs
JUNE 2, 2011 By, KATY GRIMES An education bill is being used to increase the power of teachers’ unions. AB 515 is by Assemblywoman Julia Brownley, D-Santa Monica, and was heard and voted on in the Assembly this week. It appears to
Read MoreBrown meanders, but sticks to taxes
JUNE 2, 2011 By STEVEN GREENHUT Gov. Jerry Brown’s talk to the California State Association of Counties was more meandering and disjointed than usual, but the governor stuck to his talking points: Unless California voters approve of tax extensions, they
Read MoreSupport for Cuts & Taxes Drops to 40%
JUNE 2, 2011 By WAYNE LUSVARDI There is a mix of old news and new news in the results of a new opinion poll about the budget by the Public Policy Institute of California. The poll found exactly the same
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