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I really have not been paying much attention to Obamacare in California. They were pitching how they signed up zillions of people. We have yet to find out whether those enrollees have paid their premiums, are income qualified or are in America legally. But they were proud as peacocks about their results. Then they made an announcement which knocked my socks off.

To quote their website, “The vast majority of Covered California consumers will see low increases in their health insurance premiums for 2015, and many consumers will see no increase or even a decrease. The statewide weighted average came in at 4.2 percent, with some plans offering weighted average rates that are 8.5 percent lower than current pricing.” Wow, that is impressive. How are they getting that done?

Soon after that Florida announced their planned increases for 2015. The Office of Insurance Regulation announced Floridians who buy health insurance on the individual market for 2015 will face an average increase of 13.2 percent in their monthly premiums.

That is a staggering difference. A lot of people like to refer to it as Flor-i-DAH, but that could not explain this difference. And… Read More

I am pleased to announce SB 1113 (Knight), my sponsored proposal to protect disabled veterans, cleared the Assembly last week with unanimous, bipartisan support, and now awaits action by Governor Jerry Brown.

Under California law, veterans who receive a 100% disability rating from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) may be eligible for a property tax exemption on the value of their home up to $124,932 or $187,399 in 2014 and equivalent amounts adjusted for inflation in future years. The exemption starts on the date of disability and disabled veterans may claim a refund for up to four years of back taxes paid.

Unfortunately, due to VA backlogs, some veterans have had to wait more than four years to receive their disability rating certifications. As a result, they’ve missed out on thousands of dollars in property tax refunds to which they were entitled and anticipated receiving.

SB 1113 would increase the availability of refunds on taxes previously paid from four years to eight years, allowing veterans to receive the full benefit of their exemption,… Read More

Just last month, this column noted that the professional political class harbors great hostility toward the tools of direct democracy — the powers of initiative, referendum and recall. These are effective tools to control an indolent or corrupt legislature.

From the perspective of politicians, direct democracy allows the great unwashed and unsophisticated to deal with matters such as taxation, victims’ rights, insurance and, most importantly, political reform. These are issues over… Read More

Ironically, just hours after State Senator Ben Hueso, D-San Diego,voted against California’s burgeoning ride-share industry, he was arrested for driving under the influence.When State legislators get arrested for drunk driving, it is apparent that even the most coddled in government need a free market solution rather than the hassle and expense of calling a cab.

Elected State Senators and Assembly members even have Capitol Sergeants-At-Arms to drive them where they need to go. The rest of the public doesn’t have Sergeants available, and have turned to Uber, Lyft and Sidecar. But now, the codddled Legislature wants to do away with this innovative, free market solution to expensive and unreliable cabs, shuttle services and limousines.

Given that the Democratic Party is an enthusiastic supporter of… Read More

Breastfeeding mothers have fed their infants for thousands of years, somehow, in public places. I’ve never seen a woman hassled for breastfeeding — even the women who do it immodestly.

Assemblywoman Bonnie Lowenthal is authoring… Read More

FROM THE CARPE DIEM BLOG:

http://www.aei-ideas.org/2014/08/monday_afternoon_linkage818/ Item #10

More From Today’s BLS Report: a) Texas added more than 1,000 jobs every day over the last 12 months, a total payroll increase of 396,200 from July 2013 to July 2014. b) Texas payrolls increased in the last two months (+77,000) by more than the net increase in California payrolls since December 2007 (see chart above). c) Texas added more than 15 workers to the state’s payrolls sinceDecember 2007 for every one worker added to payrolls in California (1,078,600 net new jobs in Texas vs. 69,400 net new jobs in California, see chart above). … Read More

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In 2006 the California Legislature passed the most sweeping environmental legislation in the nation. Celebrity Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger couldn’t wait to put his signature to the bill.

The two basic pillars of AB 32 was first, to reduce California’s greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by the year 2020 and second set up a cap and trade system that would make evil polluters buy credits to offset their GHG emissions. The money from the credits would go to fund green projects that would in turn meet the goals of pollution reduction.

At the time an overwhelming number of Californians enthusiastically supported this noble undertaking without asking what it would eventually cost.

The slick politicians told the gullible public not to worry about such minor details. And besides they could feel great about what they were doing and could look smugly at other benighted states that hadn’t reached their level of enlightened environmental consciousness.

Then in 2010 alarms were raised about the cost and the economic harm that might come if AB 32 was fully implemented.

Signatures were gathered for a ballot initiative that would delay… Read More

“In an era when we aren’t going to have tax increases, figure out how to be more efficient spending the money we’ve got, and the Republicans can help you do that if they’ll get off the philosophical cant about stuff and help you make things more efficient. They actually culturally know more and occupationally know more about efficiencies than Democrats typically do.” – California Treasurer Bill Lockyer, Democrat,addressing the state legislaturein 2010.

What was Lockyer thinking? As one of the most plain spoken and financially astute politicians California’s got, and as someone who has been around the capitol for decades, he certainly knows a thing or two about Republicans and Democrats. Did Lockyer make a fair generalization? And if so, what are the causes, and what are the consequences?

“They actually culturally know more and occupationally know more about efficiencies than Democrats typically do.”

To explore the basis for Lockyer’s assertion, the biographies of California’s state… Read More