Tim Anaya

Blog

Celebrating the Sound of Freedom

That sound you heard on the Fourth of July was not bands playing “God Bless America” or other patriotic songs. No, it was people complaining on social media about fireworks being set off in their neighborhoods. Where I live in Sacramento, you can buy fireworks for your family 4th of ...
Blog

Soda Tax Vote Forces Lawmakers to Eat Carrot or Face Local Tax Spigot Shut Off

Usually around this time of year, you’ll see state lawmakers wielding a big stick. In search of headlines or political points, lawmakers will routinely target some politically incorrect industry with punitive legislation.  Unless that industry agrees to eat a legislative carrot of new regulations, taxes, or fees that aren’t as ...
Blog

What’s the Deal with Ranked Choice Voting?

June’s elections in California and Maine represented a dream come true for political nerds everywhere. It brought to light a strange voting system in San Francisco and some other liberal California cities called ranked-choice, or instant runoff, voting. Ranked-choice voting takes effect when no candidate receives a majority of votes ...
Blog

After Wayfair Ruling, Will California and Other States Rush to Collect More Sales Taxes?

Last week, the Supreme Court issued a major decision in a case about online retailers collecting sales taxes, South Dakota v. Wayfair. As PRI’s Bartlett Cleland recently wrote in Fox and Hounds, “the case is centered around the notion that an entity must have a physical presence in a jurisdiction ...
Blog

Would Politics as Usual Change Under “Cal 3” Plan?

More than one observer has argued that California is too big population-wise, and the problems too-complex to effectively govern and should be broken up. Recently, it was announced that after years of debate, California is finally going to have a chance to vote on one of these proposals this November. ...
Blog

This Year’s Budget Earns a “Participation Trophy”

It’s amazing what a difference one voter-approved proposition can make.  The Legislature is poised again to pass a budget before the June 15 constitutional deadline.  Gov. Brown has until June 30 to sign it into law. Budgets used to be a lengthy, messy fight at the Capitol. Back in the ...
Blog

The June Primary is Over. So, What Now?

Now that the June primary is behind us, pundits and political observers are on overdrive telling us what it all means and what we can expect from the fall campaign. Perhaps we should all pause before writing the June primary’s eulogy as hundreds of thousands of votes remain to be ...
Blog

Will Results of June Primary Fuel Move to Repeal Top 2 Primary?

With the June primary election finally upon us today, the political chess games that have been played in the most competitive races are finally coming to an end.  On the latest episode of PRI’s podcast, the “PRI All Stars” discuss the major statewide ballot measures and look ahead to November. ...
Blog

Prop 68’s Passage Could Mean Christmas Comes Again for Sacramento’s Spending Lobby

Our mailboxes and social media feeds are literally overflowing with campaign advertisements these days.  We review the propositions on our June primary preview on PRI’s podcast. Counting up political mailings that I’ve received over the past week, I’ve gotten the most postcards in support of Proposition 68. What is Proposition ...
Blog

Will Sports Betting Ruling Be a New Gold Rush for California?

That sound you hear is the rush of California politicians and various moneyed interests racing to try and take advantage of a recent Supreme Court ruling paving the way for sports betting in every state. On May 14, the Court struck down a federal law passed in the early 1990’s ...
Blog

Celebrating the Sound of Freedom

That sound you heard on the Fourth of July was not bands playing “God Bless America” or other patriotic songs. No, it was people complaining on social media about fireworks being set off in their neighborhoods. Where I live in Sacramento, you can buy fireworks for your family 4th of ...
Blog

Soda Tax Vote Forces Lawmakers to Eat Carrot or Face Local Tax Spigot Shut Off

Usually around this time of year, you’ll see state lawmakers wielding a big stick. In search of headlines or political points, lawmakers will routinely target some politically incorrect industry with punitive legislation.  Unless that industry agrees to eat a legislative carrot of new regulations, taxes, or fees that aren’t as ...
Blog

What’s the Deal with Ranked Choice Voting?

June’s elections in California and Maine represented a dream come true for political nerds everywhere. It brought to light a strange voting system in San Francisco and some other liberal California cities called ranked-choice, or instant runoff, voting. Ranked-choice voting takes effect when no candidate receives a majority of votes ...
Blog

After Wayfair Ruling, Will California and Other States Rush to Collect More Sales Taxes?

Last week, the Supreme Court issued a major decision in a case about online retailers collecting sales taxes, South Dakota v. Wayfair. As PRI’s Bartlett Cleland recently wrote in Fox and Hounds, “the case is centered around the notion that an entity must have a physical presence in a jurisdiction ...
Blog

Would Politics as Usual Change Under “Cal 3” Plan?

More than one observer has argued that California is too big population-wise, and the problems too-complex to effectively govern and should be broken up. Recently, it was announced that after years of debate, California is finally going to have a chance to vote on one of these proposals this November. ...
Blog

This Year’s Budget Earns a “Participation Trophy”

It’s amazing what a difference one voter-approved proposition can make.  The Legislature is poised again to pass a budget before the June 15 constitutional deadline.  Gov. Brown has until June 30 to sign it into law. Budgets used to be a lengthy, messy fight at the Capitol. Back in the ...
Blog

The June Primary is Over. So, What Now?

Now that the June primary is behind us, pundits and political observers are on overdrive telling us what it all means and what we can expect from the fall campaign. Perhaps we should all pause before writing the June primary’s eulogy as hundreds of thousands of votes remain to be ...
Blog

Will Results of June Primary Fuel Move to Repeal Top 2 Primary?

With the June primary election finally upon us today, the political chess games that have been played in the most competitive races are finally coming to an end.  On the latest episode of PRI’s podcast, the “PRI All Stars” discuss the major statewide ballot measures and look ahead to November. ...
Blog

Prop 68’s Passage Could Mean Christmas Comes Again for Sacramento’s Spending Lobby

Our mailboxes and social media feeds are literally overflowing with campaign advertisements these days.  We review the propositions on our June primary preview on PRI’s podcast. Counting up political mailings that I’ve received over the past week, I’ve gotten the most postcards in support of Proposition 68. What is Proposition ...
Blog

Will Sports Betting Ruling Be a New Gold Rush for California?

That sound you hear is the rush of California politicians and various moneyed interests racing to try and take advantage of a recent Supreme Court ruling paving the way for sports betting in every state. On May 14, the Court struck down a federal law passed in the early 1990’s ...
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