Joel Fox, Author at CalWatchdog.com

Posts From Joel Fox

Joel Fox

Carpooling and mass transit decline; number of solo commuters on the rise

If you drive to work alone then you are not, well — alone — in a manner of speaking. It seems that single use occupant vehicles have increased as a percentage of the commuter population while other more communal modes of

North/south rivalry renewed over high-speed rail, Delta tunnels

Joel Fox January 28, 2016

California’s historic north/south rivalry appears to be writing a new chapter over Gov. Jerry Brown’s proposed big legacy projects: the bullet train and delta tunnels. The rivalry is sure to heat up over a report that the California High-Speed Rail

Dealing with the Porter Ranch gas leak aftermath

Joel Fox January 12, 2016

In front a background of a steady stream of work vehicles ascending the Santa Susana Mountains to the Porter Ranch Aliso Canyon methane gas storage facility, several state senators laid out plans for dealing with the leak’s aftermath once the

Will 2016 be the ‘Year of the Initiative’?

Joel Fox January 5, 2016

The Legislature is back in town this week but in the major policy issues department the Legislature is likely to be a sideshow in what can be labeled the Year of the Initiative. With a rush to place measures on

First debate of 2016 CA election season tackles poverty, taxes

Joel Fox December 15, 2015

It’s not even 2016 yet, but the first debate over a probable initiative on the November 2016 ballot took place in Dana Point Monday when former Board of Equalization member Conway Collis squared off with Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association president

Plethora of Initiatives Headed Toward 2016 Ballot

Joel Fox December 6, 2015

According to the recent Public Policy Institute of California poll, state residents like the initiative process but think too many initiatives appear on the ballot. To borrow a line from Al Jolson: “You ain’t seen nothing yet!” Of the

CA Controller predicts Prop. 30 extension will be passed

Joel Fox November 17, 2015

At last Friday’s California Economic Summit sponsored by California Forward and the California Stewardship Network, state Controller Betty Yee predicted that a Proposition 30 extension and a cigarette tax will be on the 2016 ballot and both would pass. It was a prediction

Cal Chamber scorecard

Joel Fox November 16, 2015

The California Chamber of Commerce released its tally of legislators’ floor votes on 15 bills that the chamber determined were crucial to the business community. Checking the scorecard, a telltale story from the chamber’s perspective is not who was for

Sneak peek: 5 tax proposals you may see on the 2016 ballot

Joel Fox October 30, 2015

There has been some movement on the tax initiative front. In August, I offered the following list of the top five measures most likely to make the ballot: 1) Prop. 30 Extension, 2) Cigarette Tax, 3) Split Roll Property Tax,

Ballot initiative filing fees set to increase

Joel Fox October 25, 2015

One strategy for pursuing policy changes through ballot initiatives may become victim of the new law to charge a larger fee to file an initiative for title and summary with the Attorney General’s office. The $200 filing fee, in place