March 8, 2020
Bond issue rejection could be a signal
CalMatters
By Dan Walters
Ballots from last week’s election are still being counted and it will be weeks before the final numbers are tallied, but with that caveat, it appears that a $15 billion school bond issue — the only statewide ballot measure — has been decisively rejected. That’s something of a shock. Public schools are popular in California and school bond issues generally enjoy strong voter support.
February 25, 2020
California lawmaker, former Andrew Yang campaign co-chair, proposes statewide universal income
ABC 7 News
By Kristen Sze
Although tech entrepreneur Andrew Yang has dropped out of the Democratic race for president, his main platform of universal basic income lives on. Assemblyman Evan Low (D-Cupertino) represents a large part of the South Bay, the heart of the Silicon Valley.
September 27, 2019
Who wants to leave California? Young voters can’t afford housing, and conservatives feel alienated
Los Angeles Times
By Sarah Parvini
Just over half of California’s registered voters have considered leaving the state, with soaring housing costs cited as the most common reason for wanting to move, according to a new poll. Young voters were especially likely to cite unaffordable housing as a reason for leaving, according to the latest latest UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies poll conducted for the Los Angeles Times.
July 24, 2019
California Tax Revenue is Soaring
CALmatters
By Dan Walters
It’s the good news that California’s political establishment—Democratic politicians and their allies in public-employee labor unions—prefer not to acknowledge. The official line from the establishment is that California’s schools, local governments and state programs are being financially starved.
July 10, 2019
The More, the Better: San Francisco Leads New Kind of Tax Revolt
Bloomberg Tax
By Joyce Cutler
San Francisco is emerging as one of the most receptive places in the country for new taxes. In recent weeks...
June 10, 2019
The Mercury News
By John Woolfolk
Gov. Gavin Newsom is in an enviable position: a record surplus of $21.5 billion in his first proposed budget. But as his plan moves toward the June 15 deadline for approval by a friendly Legislature dominated by his fellow Democrats, Republicans and taxpayer advocates are pushing back against what they say are more than $2 billion in new taxes and other levies tucked within the voluminous document.
May 15, 2019
Newsom must now deliver on promises
CalMatters
By Dan Walters
Despite having billions of extra dollars to spend, for instance, he wants to impose a new tax on consumers’ water bills to pay for upgrading local water systems, especially those in the San Joaquin Valley, that have pollution problems.
May 7, 2019
Gavin Newsom’s $209 billion budget calls for new taxes. Can he get them passed?
Sacramento Bee
By Sophia Bollang
Gov. Gavin Newsom has proposed new taxes and fees to fund health care subsidies, clean drinking water and tax credits for low-income families. But state revenue outpacing even his most optimistic predictions could present a challenge for him as he attempts to raise taxes...
