Taxes

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Government Mandates Big Reason Why Californians Pay More for Gas

Gas prices in California and across the country have been rising sharply since the start of the year. According to the Orange County Register, “the cost of an average gallon of gasoline has climbed to “the highest it’s been in 67 weeks.” As of March 17, average gas prices in ...
Blog

Winners and Losers – March 19

Tim Anaya, Senior Director of Communications and PRI’s Sacramento Office Winner: Mank – Director David Fincher, actor Gary Oldman, and the team behind the Netflix movie Mank (which I have seen and highly recommend) were the big winners this week when the 2021 Academy Award nominations were announced, snagging 10 ...
Blog

The Warren Wealth Tax

California progressives’ plan to impose a wealth tax on state residents died in committee last year.  Right by the Bay’s Kerry Jackson and Tim Anaya wrote about why it would hurt everyday Californians far more than its rich and famous. Unfortunately, the idea didn’t end at the California state line. ...
Blog

Stimulus Plan a Bailout Bonanza for California

With Congress on Wednesday giving final approval to President Biden’s $1.9 trillion stimulus plan, who is the biggest winner from Washington’s biggest ever spending spree?  State and local governments in California. In music to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s ears, a virtual Brink’s truck is about deliver a mountain of cash from ...
Blog

California’s Unexpected Surplus Further Proof Bailout for States Unnecessary

Last week, the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s office (LAO) released its fiscal outlook for 2021, which is traditionally the start of the debate over next year’s state budget. Unexpectedly, California finds itself sitting on a $26 billion windfall according to the LAO, attributed to “results from revisions in prior- and current-year ...
Blog

How Election Results Will Impact Next Year’s State Budget

Gov. Gavin Newsom had a lot riding on the outcome of Tuesday’s election.  How the presidential and congressional elections and one key statewide ballot measure shake out will have a significant impact on how he crafts his upcoming 2021-22 state budget plan, to be released on Jan. 10. Newsom bet ...
Business & Economics

Get government out of the boardroom

At the end of last month, California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill establishing quotas for minorities on the boards of every publicly traded company in the state. That’s on top of a law enacted in 2018 that implemented quotas for women on corporate boards. The governor and his allies ...
Blog

Studies Show Wealth Tax Would Hurt California’s Economy

There are no state taxes on wealth in the U.S., but California is a good bet to be the first. The idea carries some political popularity, and its promises sound sweet, but what would be the reality if the legislation, Assembly Bill 2088, becomes law? A couple of Rice University ...
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

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

Government Mandates Big Reason Why Californians Pay More for Gas

Gas prices in California and across the country have been rising sharply since the start of the year. According to the Orange County Register, “the cost of an average gallon of gasoline has climbed to “the highest it’s been in 67 weeks.” As of March 17, average gas prices in ...
Blog

Winners and Losers – March 19

Tim Anaya, Senior Director of Communications and PRI’s Sacramento Office Winner: Mank – Director David Fincher, actor Gary Oldman, and the team behind the Netflix movie Mank (which I have seen and highly recommend) were the big winners this week when the 2021 Academy Award nominations were announced, snagging 10 ...
Blog

The Warren Wealth Tax

California progressives’ plan to impose a wealth tax on state residents died in committee last year.  Right by the Bay’s Kerry Jackson and Tim Anaya wrote about why it would hurt everyday Californians far more than its rich and famous. Unfortunately, the idea didn’t end at the California state line. ...
Blog

Stimulus Plan a Bailout Bonanza for California

With Congress on Wednesday giving final approval to President Biden’s $1.9 trillion stimulus plan, who is the biggest winner from Washington’s biggest ever spending spree?  State and local governments in California. In music to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s ears, a virtual Brink’s truck is about deliver a mountain of cash from ...
Blog

California’s Unexpected Surplus Further Proof Bailout for States Unnecessary

Last week, the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s office (LAO) released its fiscal outlook for 2021, which is traditionally the start of the debate over next year’s state budget. Unexpectedly, California finds itself sitting on a $26 billion windfall according to the LAO, attributed to “results from revisions in prior- and current-year ...
Blog

How Election Results Will Impact Next Year’s State Budget

Gov. Gavin Newsom had a lot riding on the outcome of Tuesday’s election.  How the presidential and congressional elections and one key statewide ballot measure shake out will have a significant impact on how he crafts his upcoming 2021-22 state budget plan, to be released on Jan. 10. Newsom bet ...
Business & Economics

Get government out of the boardroom

At the end of last month, California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill establishing quotas for minorities on the boards of every publicly traded company in the state. That’s on top of a law enacted in 2018 that implemented quotas for women on corporate boards. The governor and his allies ...
Blog

Studies Show Wealth Tax Would Hurt California’s Economy

There are no state taxes on wealth in the U.S., but California is a good bet to be the first. The idea carries some political popularity, and its promises sound sweet, but what would be the reality if the legislation, Assembly Bill 2088, becomes law? A couple of Rice University ...
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

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 ...
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