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CA closes corporate tax ‘loophole,’ but doesn’t get expected bonanza
The argument that raising taxes cuts revenue because it deters taxable economic activity leads to a tired fight in which obvious facts are ignored by both sides. This claim is sometimes true and sometimes not true. It depends on what
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California’s version of Obamacare a success? Not by the numbers
I’m pretty amazed at how long the CA media have gone along with the idea that the state’s version of Obamacare is doing well. I wrote about Covered California in Sunday’s U-T San Diego: “… the state’s version of Obamacare has
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Brown pleads to CA Supreme Court: Please kill bullet train ASAP!
On Friday night, the Sacramento Bee reported a bullet-train development that looks off the wall if you follow the MSM coverage that accepts surfaces narratives from rail officials. But the development looks somewhat predictable if you’ve been reading Cal Watchdog’s
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‘Subsidiarity’: About broad push for local control? Or upping teacher pay?
Joel Fox has an analysis piece at Fox & Hounds that looks at the governor’s push for “subsidiarity” on education policy and wonders if what Jerry Brown is touting will segue to a larger agenda: “… is there a next
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Secrecy, deception: CA bullet train follows path of Big Dig
One of the defining characteristics of a government boondoggle is secrecy. Boondoggles are much less likely to come to pass if early scrutiny reveals huge problems. This was illustrated perfectly by the “Big Dig” — the Boston tunnel and road
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State of the State: Gov. Brown seeks ‘fiscal restraint’ — and more spending
SACRAMENTO — Gov. Jerry Brown delivered his 2014 State of the State this morning. It was largely a recap of his recent 2014 Budget proposal press conference, but shorter. As Brown often does, he first took on his critics: “It
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BOE building gremlins linger in ‘sick’ building
There must be gremlins living in the Board of Equalization building in downtown Sacramento. What else could explain burst water pipes, flooding, mechanical problems, bats, mold, and falling glass? BOE employees have complained for years of safety hazards and moldy,
Read More‘Techno-militarization’ seen in CA alarms tech intellectuals
The NSA scandal and the increasing use of technology to police and monitor all Americans, not just suspected terrorists around the world and in our midst, is a growing worry in Silicon Valley. CEOs fret that U.S. tech firms will
Read MoreLife expectancy gains: new front in CA pension funding woes
Daniel Borenstein of the Bay Area Newspaper Group had a sharp column Sunday pointing out that delays in acknowledging gains in life expectancy added to the long-term funding problems faced by CalPERS. “The mortality issue exemplifies how CalPERS has set
Read MoreTaxpayer-funded union programs: Scams and scandals
In a state with normal standards of honesty and transparency, the idea that millions of dollars in public funds could be used without any scrutiny for many years at a time would seem goofy. But that's in a normal government.
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