California economy

David Cay Johnston replies to my tax blog

Due to some technical problems, David Cay Johnston’s reply to my blog, “Tax increases boost jobs?,” was delayed two days till this morning. So I’m calling special attention to it here. Check it out and add replies if you wish.

CA taxes have DROPPED $6 billion

John Seiler July 24, 2014

Let me elaborate on something I mentioned in a blog yesterday: California taxes have dropped $6 billion in the last two years. That’s because Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s record, $13 billion tax increase of 2009 expired and was replaced in 2012 by

In Silicon Valley, liberal pols look to drive up cost of housing

Chris Reed July 21, 2014

The emergence of Silicon Valley as one of the wealthiest places in the world has led to plenty of media coverage that points out how it has become a poster child for income inequality. This is from a March Associated

Port of San Diego turns permit process into profit center

Chris Reed July 19, 2014

The Port of San Diego is breaking crazy new ground. The agency — which has 500-plus employees and a $97 million annual budget to oversee maritime cargo and cruise ship facilities in a coastal area covering San Diego and four smaller

Parallels between Australia, Assembly AB 32 revolt are obvious

Chris Reed July 18, 2014

One of the most universal findings in the social sciences has been the uniform way that humans at all stages of history have been for something that they think reflects well on them until they perceive that it costs them

$CA fossil-fuel foes want to ban more than just fracking$

CA fossil-fuel foes want to ban more than just fracking

Chris Reed July 17, 2014

California foes of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, have been surprised and disappointed at their inability to get Gov. Jerry Brown or the Legislature to ban the practice. Brown’s support for a law regulating but permitting the newly improved drilling technique

Board chair’s upbeat take on bullet train at sharp odds with MSM

Chris Reed July 16, 2014

When James Fallows of The Atlantic came out last week in strong support of the California high-speed rail project, I responded with an unnecessarily snarky piece — sorry, James — headlined “7 ways James Fallows is wrong about the CA bullet

Dan Richard vs. CWD over bullet train, via James Fallows

Chris Reed July 15, 2014

Wait, there’s still more from the suddenly feverish debate over the bullet train. The head of California High-Speed Rail Authority takes on my July 11 CWD post knocking Jim Fallows for his support of the project point by point.

Fallows cites CWD critique of his bullet-train stand

Chris Reed July 15, 2014

The Atlantic’s James Fallows, to his credit, followed up on his post last week touting the California bullet train project with another post acknowledging the strong push-back he had received. His respectful, straightforward tone was far different than the norm

7 ways James Fallows is wrong about the CA bullet train

Chris Reed July 11, 2014

Writing on The Atlantic’s website, the much-respected journalist/intellectual James Fallows — a Redlands native who knows California better than nearly all other national pundits — has come out as a big fan of the state’s bullet-train project. He promises to