Budget and Finance

Study: CA ranks last in spending transparency

California ranked at the bottom for the second consecutive year on the annual report on state government transparency compiled by the Public Interest Research Group, an investigative and advocacy organization based in Boston. And the state’s beleaguered Department of Technology, or CalTech, can be assigned part

California’s income tax rate drives NFL players away

Joel Fox March 20, 2015

Last month on CalWatchdog.com, prompted by the efforts to build a Los Angeles football stadium and lure an NFL team, I wrote on how Proposition 13’s tax-vote provisions were influential in the moves and counter-moves on the stadium debate over public funding.

Black Caucus brings its clout to CA school funding fight

Chris Reed March 18, 2015

The Local Control Funding Formula, enacted in 2013, is supposed to make sure more education dollars are used in ways that specifically help struggling students. Gov. Jerry Brown pushed for the education funding change because he said it was crucial

CARTOON: Apple in orbit

CalWatchdog Staff March 16, 2015

Top 5 taxes you may see on the 2016 ballot

Joel Fox March 14, 2015

Last June, I wrote a column forecasting which tax increase measures might be on the Nov. 2016 ballot given the conversations going on then. Time for an update. As is nearly always the case in the political world, situations and

DeMaio, Reed team up for 2016 pension fight

John March 12, 2015

The dynamic duo of California pension reform are teaming up in 2016. Former San Diego City Councilman Carl DeMaio and former San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed, both of whom successfully passed pension reform in their respective cities during their time

Tax Foundation: CA has fourth-highest state taxes

John Seiler March 11, 2015

The newest figures just released by the Tax Foundation show California continues to be one of the highest-taxes states in the country. According to “Facts & Figures 2015: How Does Your State Compare?” the Golden State now ranks fourth-highest for

CA jobs improve, consumer sentiment dips

John Seiler March 7, 2015

California’s jobs situation continues to improve — although there’s a dip in consumer sentiment. The California Employment Development Department today announced unemployment dropped to 6.9 percent in February, down from 7.1 percent in Dec. 2014; and down more than a point

Worst-case scenarios for CalSTRS and CalPERS

Wayne Lusvardi March 4, 2015

Sometimes it’s good to consider worst-case scenarios. Maybe they won’t even happen, but it can help to look at every possibility. Two analysts have done that for California’s two biggest pension systems. As of the most current figures, the California Public

Treasurer Chiang talks taxes and the economy

Joel Fox March 2, 2015

With the rising conversation about extending Proposition 30‘s temporary taxes, I asked state Treasurer John Chiang if he would advise that the taxes be continued. Chiang said a promise was made that the taxes would be temporary and circumstances would