State Budget

California

Connie Conway – She’s Back! Former Assembly Republican Leader Takes On Sacramento’s Hot Topics

Former Assembly Republican Leader Connie Conway always has an opinion about something.  She joins us to discuss the hot issues on the agenda in Sacramento, including taxes, water storage, the state budget, and health care.
Blog

Today is California Tax Freedom Day

“April is the cruelest month,” wrote T.S. Eliot.  It’s especially cruel for Californians because today, April 23, is the day when California taxpayers have collectively earned enough money to pay their federal, state, and local tax bill for the year, according to the Tax Foundation. After working for nearly four ...
Commentary

Are Electric Car Subsidies Just Giveaways To The Wealthy?

Gov. Jerry Brown and some California lawmakers are pushing Golden State drivers to the fast lane of an all-electric car future. For example, San Francisco Democrat Phil Ting has introduced legislation to outlaw the sale of traditional gas-powered cars by the year 2040. My colleague Kerry Jackson has called this idea “a ...
Blog

Herding Cats and Moving the Ball Forward

Tim Anaya interviews Senate Republican Leader Patricia Bates at the State Capitol in Sacramento. Over the years, I had the opportunity to work for 9 consecutive Assembly Republican Leaders.  To say that leading the minority party in California is a great challenge is an understatement. Transitioning from being one Senator ...
California

Senate Republican Leader Patricia Bates – The View from Under the Dome

Senate Republican Leader Patricia Bates joins us as she celebrates her one-year anniversary as Leader to discuss the top issues on the agenda at the State Capitol – poverty, health care reform, transportation, the state budget, taxes, and her caucus’ priorities for 2018.
Commentary

Put Medicaid Back to Work Helping the Truly Unfortunate

Some Americans may soon have to punch a time clock to qualify for Medicaid. Last month, the Trump administration announced that states could seek federal permission to require people to work, attend school, or otherwise contribute to the community in order to receive Medicaid benefits. Kentucky’s plan to mandate 80 ...
Blog

There They Go Again!

One of Ronald Reagan’s legendary lines in a debate with Jimmy Carter was, “There you go again!” When it comes to the UC and CSU system continually threatening to raise tuition unless the Legislature gives them (even) more money, California taxpayers are crying, “There you go again!” This annual budget ...
California

California Can’t Afford Single-Payer Health Care Fantasy

A civil war is brewing within California’s Democratic party. Progressives — led by Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, the frontrunner for governor, and the politically powerful California Nurses Association — plan to fight for a single-payer healthcare system this year. Their more moderate rivals — among them Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon ...
Blog

The State of the State’s Pensions Is Not So Strong

The governor covered quite a few topics in Thursday’s State of the State address, some of them in more detail than others. But one he skimmed over that should have received more attention is the state’s public-employee pension crisis. It was mentioned only twice, both times references to a reform ...
California

Sacramento’s Next Battle – How To Spend A $6.1 Billion Budget Surplus

Gov. Jerry Brown has proposed the biggest state budget in history. He wants to spend $131.7 billion from the general fund, about 5 percent more than is being spent from the $125 billion 2016-17 budget he signed last year. His 16th and final budget also includes a surplus, which some ...
California

Connie Conway – She’s Back! Former Assembly Republican Leader Takes On Sacramento’s Hot Topics

Former Assembly Republican Leader Connie Conway always has an opinion about something.  She joins us to discuss the hot issues on the agenda in Sacramento, including taxes, water storage, the state budget, and health care.
Blog

Today is California Tax Freedom Day

“April is the cruelest month,” wrote T.S. Eliot.  It’s especially cruel for Californians because today, April 23, is the day when California taxpayers have collectively earned enough money to pay their federal, state, and local tax bill for the year, according to the Tax Foundation. After working for nearly four ...
Commentary

Are Electric Car Subsidies Just Giveaways To The Wealthy?

Gov. Jerry Brown and some California lawmakers are pushing Golden State drivers to the fast lane of an all-electric car future. For example, San Francisco Democrat Phil Ting has introduced legislation to outlaw the sale of traditional gas-powered cars by the year 2040. My colleague Kerry Jackson has called this idea “a ...
Blog

Herding Cats and Moving the Ball Forward

Tim Anaya interviews Senate Republican Leader Patricia Bates at the State Capitol in Sacramento. Over the years, I had the opportunity to work for 9 consecutive Assembly Republican Leaders.  To say that leading the minority party in California is a great challenge is an understatement. Transitioning from being one Senator ...
California

Senate Republican Leader Patricia Bates – The View from Under the Dome

Senate Republican Leader Patricia Bates joins us as she celebrates her one-year anniversary as Leader to discuss the top issues on the agenda at the State Capitol – poverty, health care reform, transportation, the state budget, taxes, and her caucus’ priorities for 2018.
Commentary

Put Medicaid Back to Work Helping the Truly Unfortunate

Some Americans may soon have to punch a time clock to qualify for Medicaid. Last month, the Trump administration announced that states could seek federal permission to require people to work, attend school, or otherwise contribute to the community in order to receive Medicaid benefits. Kentucky’s plan to mandate 80 ...
Blog

There They Go Again!

One of Ronald Reagan’s legendary lines in a debate with Jimmy Carter was, “There you go again!” When it comes to the UC and CSU system continually threatening to raise tuition unless the Legislature gives them (even) more money, California taxpayers are crying, “There you go again!” This annual budget ...
California

California Can’t Afford Single-Payer Health Care Fantasy

A civil war is brewing within California’s Democratic party. Progressives — led by Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, the frontrunner for governor, and the politically powerful California Nurses Association — plan to fight for a single-payer healthcare system this year. Their more moderate rivals — among them Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon ...
Blog

The State of the State’s Pensions Is Not So Strong

The governor covered quite a few topics in Thursday’s State of the State address, some of them in more detail than others. But one he skimmed over that should have received more attention is the state’s public-employee pension crisis. It was mentioned only twice, both times references to a reform ...
California

Sacramento’s Next Battle – How To Spend A $6.1 Billion Budget Surplus

Gov. Jerry Brown has proposed the biggest state budget in history. He wants to spend $131.7 billion from the general fund, about 5 percent more than is being spent from the $125 billion 2016-17 budget he signed last year. His 16th and final budget also includes a surplus, which some ...
Scroll to Top