Tag "Joel Fox"
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Treasurer Chiang talks taxes and the economy
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
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Prop. 13’s influence on NFL stadium game
A major component in the fight to keep professional football in Oakland and San Diego or move a team to Los Angeles is taxes: Will taxes be necessary to build a stadium? Team owners want a public subsidy to
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They gave an election in L.A. and almost nobody came
It seems Los Angeles County is testing the old philosophical question: What if they gave an election and nobody came? The most populous county in the state had the lowest percentage turnout in last November’s election. While 42 percent
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Kevin McCarthy talks Senate seat, power, trains
While he was in town, I talked with House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., about retiring Sen. Barbara Boxer’s seat, the Republican Congress sharing power with Democratic President Barack Obama, California’s high-speed rail project and more. A former state legislator,
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Car-mileage fee debate accelerates
The debate over gas taxes or mileage-based user fees to fund road construction and maintenance is accelerating. Proponents of gas tax increases argue now is the time to proceed because lower gasoline prices would lessen the blow on consumers and
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Taking on the minimum-wage debate in L.A.
The national debate over minimum-wage increases will take center stage in Los Angeles because two efforts to raise the minimum wage face staunch opposition from the business community. The Los Angeles Business Federation, known as BizFed, went on the
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The whole truth about California’s employment picture
News on the economy appears good with new national numbers on economic growth released and polls measuring the attitudes about the job market ticking up. However, in California some troubling job numbers don’t get the attention they deserve. While quarterly
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Minimum wage debate: history and examples
With rallies in Los Angeles and Bay Area cities seeking a $15 minimum wage for fast food workers and state Sen. Mark Leno, D-San Francisco, introducing a bill to increase the state minimum wage over the recent boost the Legislature approved,
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Is local tax measure success a sign of things to come?
As usual, Michael Coleman’s California City Finance website has an excellent recap of local tax measures and how they fared in the recent election. Local ballots contained 268 revenue measures — tax increases, tax extensions or bonds — of which 189
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Higher tuition hikes — for what purpose?
Last week, on a post-election panel presented by Capitol Weekly, I raised the issue of potential tax increases being contemplated by public unions and other groups in the next election and said that one of the reasons more revenue
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