CalWatchdog Morning Read – September 14

• Sales tax on tampons is here for another year
• Nearly 2/3 of Californians support November’s gun-control measure
• $2 billion bond for housing for homeless gets green light
• Ex-wife of Issa challenger defends man she once accused of stalking her
• Yes on 55 claim that defeat = school funding cuts is rated “Mostly False”

Good morning. Happy Hump Day — happy, unless you were hoping to be able to purchase slightly cheaper tampons and diapers in the near future, in which case it’s not a happy day. 

In fact, Gov. Jerry Brown vetoed a package of bills on Tuesday that would have eliminated sales tax on tampons and diapers, among other things.

In total, Brown killed seven niche tax cuts totaling around $300 million in revenue, arguing the tax cuts should be done as part of the annual budget discussions, not individually without taking into account the broader implications.  

“As I said last year, tax breaks are the same as new spending — they both cost the general fund money,” Brown wrote in his veto message. “As such, they must be considered during budget deliberations so that all spending proposals are weighed against each other at the same time.”

“This is even more important when the state’s budget remains precariously balanced,” Brown added. Brown has repeatedly cautioned against new spending programs, believing that an economic downturn is near, which many say the state is not well-prepared for.

CalWatchdog has more. 

In other news:

• “Nearly two-thirds of California voters support a gun-control initiative on the November ballot, about the same percentage of people who say they don’t have a firearm in their home, according to a new USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times poll conducted by SurveyMonkey,” reports the Los Angeles Times.
• “State officials received the green light Tuesday for a $2-billion bond project designed to provide new housing for homeless Californians suffering from mental illness,” reports the Los Angeles Times.
• “In the latest twist in a contentious House race, the ex-wife of a Democratic congressional candidate has come forward to endorse the man whom she once accused of stalking, harassment and posing ‘grave danger’ to her and her family.” Politico has more. 
• The proponents’ claims that passing Prop. 55 “prevents $4 billion in new cuts to our schools,” was rated mostly false by Politifact California/Capital Public Radio.

Legislature:

• Gone ’til December.

Gov. Brown:

• Signing a spending plan for $900 million in cap-and-trade revenue at 11:30 a.m. in Fresno. The Sacramento Bee has more.  

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