Tag "Wayne Lusvardi"
Back to homepageWill ‘maquila-solar’ zone form just outside CA state line?
July 10, 2013 By Wayne Lusvardi Political borders create economic fault lines. For example, property rights might promote growth in one area, while lower wage rates might benefit another. A good example is the “maquiladora” free-trade zone flourishing just across
Read MoreCalifornia Solar Initiative: overhyped and underperforming
Now that the $2.167 billion California Solar Initiative is winding down, electricity ratepayers might ask: What was it and what did it accomplish? Was it: 1.) A cutting edge solar energy project to bring about a “self-sustaining” solar power industry,
Read MoreCA comeback suffers setback
July 4, 2013 By Wayne Lusvardi California experienced a sharp setback in the third week of June — despite all the media talk about an economic comeback. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, California had an increase of 15,341
Read MoreIs Adelanto the next CA city to go belly up?
July 3, 2013 By Wayne Lusvardi The pathway into municipal budget distress is not the same for every city in California. No known city in California has attempted to cut its general fund budget nearly in half. But that’s what
Read MoreCA ratepayers fleeced for green power line in Canada
July 2, 2013 By Wayne Lusvardi Public, municipal and private power companies throughout California buy hydropower from the Western Power Administration. This means ratepayers across California are paying for a wind farm transmission line that benefits only those who live
Read MoreProperty rights win only minor victory in court case
June 28, 2013 By Wayne Lusvardi As the July 4 holiday approaches, America celebrates independence from the tyrannical taxation and subjugation of Great Britain in the 1770s. But property owners in California have no more property rights even after a new
Read MoreBillionaire Texas Democrat seeks to reform CA pensions
June 26, 2013 By Wayne Lusvardi California’s pension problems are so massive that any help should be welcomed, even from outside the state. Enter Texas billionaire Democrat John Arnold, who announced an effort to reform unsustainable public pensions across the United
Read MoreL.A. Times caught in tax liability
June 25, 2013 By Wayne Lusvardi File this under Hoist With Your Own Petard. As I wrote last month, the Los Angeles Times mistakenly said Michael Dell used a tax dodge to avoid $1.1 million in property taxes on his purchase
Read MoreDueling economists debate if CA is ‘back’
June 19, 2013 By Wayne Lusvardi Was it conservative budget austerity or liberal tax hikes that have brought about a “California comeback,” as proclaimed by Gov. Jerry Brown and others? The common view is that tax hikes have brought the recovery and
Read MoreCalPERS outfoxes bond insurer in San Bernardino bankruptcy
June 17, 2013 By Wayne Lusvardi Call it “lawyer wars.” The city of San Bernardino’s bankruptcy case is getting messy, pitting lawyer against lawyer. Last week federal Judge Meredith Jury barred the law firm Winston and Strawn from representing a
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