Tim Anaya
Blog
Prop. 19 Could Be a Huge Tax Increase for Middle Class Californians Inheriting Homes
Property taxes are a hot issue on the ballot in California this November. Most of the attention has centered around Prop. 15, which would impose a split roll property tax scheme in the state. Garnering less attention is Prop. 19, which has the potential to have a much bigger negative ...
Blog
Should Dangerous Felons on Parole Have the Right to Vote?
Among the measures on a lengthy statewide ballot this November – there are 11 statewide ballot propositions in addition to numerous local measures across the state – are two curious measures that deal with voting. One measure, Proposition 18, would allow 17-year-olds to vote in primary and special elections if ...
Blog
Should We Be Rebuilding the State Capitol As State Faces Massive Recession?
An unusual hearing took place at the State Capitol last week. Members of the Joint Rules Committee gathered to hear presentations on plans to tear down the existing State Capitol annex and replace it with a new, modern building. Three different building design models were reviewed. A design decision will ...
Blog
Dem “Stimulus Plan” Victim of Last Night of Session Hijinks
Much has been written about perhaps the wildest last night of the legislative session ever. For those who weren’t paying attention, all but one Republican senator was quarantined when Sen. Brian Jones tested positive for COVID-19 a few days prior, forced to vote remotely. This prolonged the Senate’s work on ...
Blog
A Powerful Letter That Should Leave Taxpayers Concerned
Fiscal matters related to COVID-19 has dominated the budget discussions at the State Capitol this spring and summer. In recent weeks, there have been increasingly difficult political discussions over the Newsom administration’s COVID-19 budget spending. A powerful letter sent to Gov. Newsom and lawmakers last week should leave all taxpayers ...
Blackouts
Newsom and Davis Have a Lot More in Common Than You Might Imagine
The images of mass power outages across the state during our recent run of extreme temperatures evoked images in many Californians of the last time the state faced mass power blackouts. The year was 2001, when then-Governor Gray Davis bungled the state’s controversial electricity restructuring plan and allowed the state’s ...
Blog
Next Tax Increases on the Docket: Two Proposed Tax Hikes on the Rich
When the 2020-21 state budget was enacted a few months back, I made the case that the majority party’s spending plan essentially sets the stage for an upcoming battle over tax increases. Back in 2011, former Gov. Jerry Brown pushed a budget plan that was heavily reliant on “trigger cuts,” ...
Blog
Let the Legislature’s End of Session Games Begin
As the calendar shifts into August, there’s less than a month to go in the wildest legislative session in recent memory. The turning of the calendar also marks the return of the Legislature’s annual end-of-session games. No, I’m not talking about “legislative bingo” (which is a real thing where legislators ...
Blog
High on Spending, Light on Stimulus: Legislative Democrats Propose $100 Billion Borrowing Plan
This week in Washington, Democrats and Republicans are squabbling over the next economic stimulus package. Republicans have proposed a roughly $1 trillion plan, while Speaker Pelosi is pushing a $3 trillion plan. The partisan haggling and negotiations via shuttle diplomacy have already begun. Upon returning from their summer recess, Sacramento ...
Blog
CalPERS and CalSTRS Annual Returns Latest Public Pension Crisis Warning Sign
The COVID-19 recession has fueled volatility in the financial markets. Investment portfolios saw sharp drops in March and April but have rebounded recently as the economy opened up in some areas. This volatility has negatively impacted public pension funds. The Sacramento Bee reported last week that, “California’s pension fund for ...
Prop. 19 Could Be a Huge Tax Increase for Middle Class Californians Inheriting Homes
Property taxes are a hot issue on the ballot in California this November. Most of the attention has centered around Prop. 15, which would impose a split roll property tax scheme in the state. Garnering less attention is Prop. 19, which has the potential to have a much bigger negative ...
Should Dangerous Felons on Parole Have the Right to Vote?
Among the measures on a lengthy statewide ballot this November – there are 11 statewide ballot propositions in addition to numerous local measures across the state – are two curious measures that deal with voting. One measure, Proposition 18, would allow 17-year-olds to vote in primary and special elections if ...
Should We Be Rebuilding the State Capitol As State Faces Massive Recession?
An unusual hearing took place at the State Capitol last week. Members of the Joint Rules Committee gathered to hear presentations on plans to tear down the existing State Capitol annex and replace it with a new, modern building. Three different building design models were reviewed. A design decision will ...
Dem “Stimulus Plan” Victim of Last Night of Session Hijinks
Much has been written about perhaps the wildest last night of the legislative session ever. For those who weren’t paying attention, all but one Republican senator was quarantined when Sen. Brian Jones tested positive for COVID-19 a few days prior, forced to vote remotely. This prolonged the Senate’s work on ...
A Powerful Letter That Should Leave Taxpayers Concerned
Fiscal matters related to COVID-19 has dominated the budget discussions at the State Capitol this spring and summer. In recent weeks, there have been increasingly difficult political discussions over the Newsom administration’s COVID-19 budget spending. A powerful letter sent to Gov. Newsom and lawmakers last week should leave all taxpayers ...
Newsom and Davis Have a Lot More in Common Than You Might Imagine
The images of mass power outages across the state during our recent run of extreme temperatures evoked images in many Californians of the last time the state faced mass power blackouts. The year was 2001, when then-Governor Gray Davis bungled the state’s controversial electricity restructuring plan and allowed the state’s ...
Next Tax Increases on the Docket: Two Proposed Tax Hikes on the Rich
When the 2020-21 state budget was enacted a few months back, I made the case that the majority party’s spending plan essentially sets the stage for an upcoming battle over tax increases. Back in 2011, former Gov. Jerry Brown pushed a budget plan that was heavily reliant on “trigger cuts,” ...
Let the Legislature’s End of Session Games Begin
As the calendar shifts into August, there’s less than a month to go in the wildest legislative session in recent memory. The turning of the calendar also marks the return of the Legislature’s annual end-of-session games. No, I’m not talking about “legislative bingo” (which is a real thing where legislators ...
High on Spending, Light on Stimulus: Legislative Democrats Propose $100 Billion Borrowing Plan
This week in Washington, Democrats and Republicans are squabbling over the next economic stimulus package. Republicans have proposed a roughly $1 trillion plan, while Speaker Pelosi is pushing a $3 trillion plan. The partisan haggling and negotiations via shuttle diplomacy have already begun. Upon returning from their summer recess, Sacramento ...
CalPERS and CalSTRS Annual Returns Latest Public Pension Crisis Warning Sign
The COVID-19 recession has fueled volatility in the financial markets. Investment portfolios saw sharp drops in March and April but have rebounded recently as the economy opened up in some areas. This volatility has negatively impacted public pension funds. The Sacramento Bee reported last week that, “California’s pension fund for ...
