On January 14th the Orange County Board of Education will meet to consider, among other things,approving a 2% increase for the Orange County superintendent’s salary. Using data provided by the Orange County Dept. of Education to Transparent California, it can be seen that in 2013 the superintendent, Al Mijares,earned a base salary of $293,500, along with additional employer paid “benefits” of $50,482, for a total of $338,482.

To evaluate whether or not this level of compensation is appropriate, the first step is to evaluate how much superintendents make in other California school districts. Using data provided by theNational Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education, and California Department of Education, and compiled bySchoolDigger.com, we downloaded enrollment and academic performance information for 786 California school districts.… Read More

The prevailing challenge facing humanity when confronted with resource constraints is not that we are running out of resources, but how we will adapt and create new and better solutions to meet the needs that currently are being met by what are arguably scarce or finite resources. If one accepts this premise, that we are not threatened by diminishing resources, but rather by the possibility that we won’t successfully adapt and innovate to create new resources, a completely different perspective on resource scarcity and resource policies may emerge.

Across every fundamental area of human needs, history demonstrates that as technology and freedom is advanced, new solutions evolve to meet them. Despite tragic setbacks of war or famine that provide examples to contradict this optimistic claim, overall the lifestyle of the average human being has inexorably improved across the centuries. While it is easy to examine specific consumption patterns today and suggest we now face a tipping point wherein shortages of key resources will overwhelm us, if one examines key resources one at a time, there is a strong argument that such a catastrophe, if it does occur, will be the result… Read More

Taking a page from the experienced,aging Jerry Brown political playbook, Democrats in Congress and the Obama White House appear to have been trying to destroy the economy and bankrupt the government given their policies the past six years. However, they’ve been stopped in their tracks, thanks to American voters, who in November resoundingly thrashed President Barack Obama, together with the Democrats in Congress, and their destructive policies. By defeating Democrats across the country, voters ushered in a Republican controlled House and Senate.

If only California could be so charmed.

I met with California Congressman Tom McClintock, of California’s 4th District, following completion of the first week of the new Republican majority Congress. McClintock, a prudent, stalwart Conservative, cleared up several falsehoods being repeated in the media about Republican and Democratic leadership, and clarified the Constitutionality of the President’s recent actions. And McClintock smiled when he said that with former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid no longer in power, Congress can finally get to work and deliberate.

Congress had quite a first… Read More

[We are pleased to offer this preview of an original commentary on California politics penned by Jon Coupal, President of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association. At the bottom of the preview is a link to the full column on the HJTA website – Flash]

DO NEWER TECHNOLOGIES THREATEN HIGH SPEED RAIL? Jon Coupal, HJTA

So many lies were told to convince voters to approve the High Speed Rail project six years ago, that most Californians have soured on it. They are appalled that the estimated cost to build, the time to build, the time between destinations and the price of a ticket have all nearly doubled since voters approved a $10 billion bond to kick start the project.

Add to this that the private investment that backers promised would limit taxpayers’ liability is nowhere to be seen and it is little wonder that even the former Chairman of the High Speed Rail Authority, respected independent Quentin Kopp, has excoriated the project as it has morphed into something wholly unrecognizable from what the voters… Read More

About 95% of the public policy studies and reports circulating among California state and local governments reject a free market approach to societal challenges. Instead, these studies and reportsadvocate more governmentspending, more government programs, and more government intrusion into commerce and personal behavior.

Obviously “Progressive” intellectual thought in California gets a disproportionate share of funding. Who funds the policy institutes churning out the vision that will likely define the future of the state?

You do. For many of these operations, government is a major source of funding.

Federal, state, regional, and local governments move money around with little accountability through grants and contracts. Some of it ends up going to Left-leaning policy institutes.

One notorious example of a government-funded policy institute is the union-oriented University of California Miguel Contreras Labor Program. After the California Labor Federation succeeded in establishing the program with a $6 million appropriation in the 2000-01 state budget, the annual budget always included a specific line-item amount for the program. The… Read More

[Publisher’s Note: We are pleased to offer this commentary from Republican Assemblyman Travis Allen, who’s sentiment below we believe speaks for most Republicans throughout the Golden State — Flash]

The Governor’s 2015-16 Budget Fails to Address the Real Issues Assemblyman Travis Allen

Governor Brown just released his proposed 2015-16 Budget, and while there are positive aspects, such as maintaining a rainy day fund and beginning to address our state’s massive $73 billion unfunded healthcare liability for state workers, the Governor is out of touch with the real issues facing California.

Regarding the $73 billion healthcare liability, I proposed to prefund it last year in my bill, AB 1681, which would have required any new contracts by a public employer that provides postemployment healthcare benefits to include a strategy for prefunding those healthcare benefits. The Democrats that control the Legislature were unwilling at the time to ensure that the state take real action toward paying down the colossal debt amassed by decades of politicians.… Read More

Here’s a nasty tax that Californians pay every year. It’s a tax that you are probablycompletelyunaware of — a tax that is charged in only 6 other states. When you pay for your California homeowners policy, life insurance, car insurance, health insurance, business insurance, annuity — ANY insurance product except “tax qualified” plans (annuity retirement plans, primarily) — hidden inside your insurance bill is a 2.35% CA premium tax — essentially a sales tax. It’s not broken out as a tax in your bill, nor discussed by your insurance companies when you buy their products.

It’s a tax in lieu of the insurance companies paying a corporate income tax on NET profits — the way the vast majority of states choose to tax insurance corporations (if they have a state corporate income tax at all, of course).

I don’t know for sure exactly how we compare with other states overall on this tax, but I DID find the figures on how we rank with our 2.35%… Read More

Today the Governor released a budget that reflects his priorities. I’m encouraged by his continued commitment to pay down debt and phase out Proposition 30’s temporary tax increases.

But at its core, the Governor’s budget grows state government spending to record levels. I’m concerned that tax-and-spend legislators will push for even more spending, taxes and regulations that will rob Californians of freedom and jobs.

Republicans must resist the siren song to grow big government even bigger. Instead, we must offer compelling free-market alternatives that prioritize jobs, education and public safety.… Read More