According to a recent AP news article (“Calif. tax collector criticized for opposing fee”), several Democratic leaders, including a few of my colleagues, want me to stop my “high profile campaign” against the new “Fire Prevention Fee.” They argue that my role is to simply to collect taxes—not to speak out against them.

They’re right about one thing. I do have a responsibility to administer taxes. I’m doing everything in my power to ensure that this tax, and others, are administered effectively, efficiently and fairly. I’m also encouraging taxpayers to pay their taxes, so they don’t get caught up with penalties and interest.

There’s a reason California has elected tax officials, rather than bureaucrats, in charge of tax administration and appeals. We are elected to represent the taxpayers in our districts. Doing so involves speaking on their behalf.

Accordingly, I respect the right of my Democratic colleagues to speak on behalf of their constituents—even when they disagree with me.

The new “fire fee” is an… Read More

The word ‘leakage’ is the new politically correct term used by legislators, the Governor, bureaucrats and the California Air Resources Board to describe what happens when California businesses leave the state because of tax increases and stupendous regulations… as if any of them know what it means for a business to make the difficult decision to close a location, terminate hundreds of employees, and move a business.

As The… Read More

I’m always skeptical of public opinion polling data. Time after time I say that to really understand the full story behind surveys, you have to investigate the questions being asked of respondents.

I was immediately surprised by the results from the recent PPIC statewide survey as it related to voter sentiment on the Death Penalty. California has and will continue to be supportive of capital punishment for the worst of the worst murders. I’ve known from experience that a death sentence isn’t given often, but when it is, the criminal deserves it.

PPIC didn’t test the actual ballot label of Prop 34 and suggested that it merely tested voter sentiment about the death penalty as opposed to life without parole. The results, they subtly (well not so subtly) would project where voters are on Proposition 34, a measure sponsored by the ACLU and defense attorneys to get rid of the death penalty. The irony behind Prop 34 is that the ACLU is claiming that the death penalty is broken because nobody gets executed and taxpayers are paying… Read More

Foreign Policy: My parents, who have now passed away, were both born around the start of World War I. They were of the “greatest generation” that came to adulthood during the depression and World War II. They grew up in a world where it was us and other democracies against the fascists and imperialists across the oceans. We had the white hats. They wore the black hats. The white hats won. It was all pretty clear.

I was born in 1955, square in the middle of the “baby boom” generation. We came of age during the Cold War and the Vietnam War. It was still pretty clear. There were 3 worlds: us with the white hats, the communists with the black hats, and the “third world” that we and the communists fought over. The Vietnam War was America’s first experience with a conflict that arguably did not result in the defeat of the opposition, which spoiled our air of invincibility. But, our objective for the Cold War, as Ronald Reagan famously described, was, “We win. They lose”. And, that is what happened. Also pretty clear.

After the Cold War came the “peace dividend” and a hope, if not an… Read More

As Sacramento legislators continue to pass laws that make California increasingly less competitive, while ignoring needed reforms in the way state government taxes, spends, and regulates, San Diego stands as a bright spot for advocates of reform, fiscal sanity, and transparency. That bright spot is because of the efforts of City Councilman Carl DeMaio, candidate for mayor of California’s second largest city.

Charter reform, coupled with redistricting, have taken the San Diego City Council from eight seats to nine, having already changed the mayor into a “strong mayor” executive role, and separating the office from the council. Going into this election, left-leaning councilmembers outnumbered pro-business councilmembers 5-3. However, the outright victories of businessmen Mark Kersey and Scott Sherman in the June primary have created a 4-4 split with the deciding ninth seat a battle between businessman Ray Ellis and liberal incumbent Sherri Lightner. Ellis topped Lightner in the 4-way June primary and reformers are excited about Ellis’ chances in November.

But the best part about what is happening in San Diego is not the prospect of a pro-reform,… Read More

Yesterday I took a bit of a trip through the looking glass, as it were. Yesterday, as far as I could tell, I was one only two ideological conservatives who attended the inaugural symposium of the new Schwarzenegger Institute for State and Local Policy at the University of Southern California. I would say that there were about 750 people there, mostly invited guests as well as a large contingent of university students. Actually several hundred more students wanted to attend but were turned away due to lack of space. In his opening remarks, Arnold Schwarzenegger joked that they picked those students with the least amount… Read More

With all of the focus on the November ballot initiatives to raise taxes, Proposition 31 seems to have quietly avoided heavy scrutiny in the main stream media thus far. But this initiative is a wolf in sheep’s clothing, pretending to be much-needed reform.

There is growing confusion about ballot title and summaries on California’s ballot initiatives. It’s almost impossible to know how to vote on something. A “no” vote may mean “yes,” and visa versa, given the way the California Attorney General’s office plays fast and loose with writing the titles and summaries of ballot measures.

This is the case with Proposition 31 –what’s up is down, and what appears to be reform, is not. Equally disturbing is how so many of the state’s newspapers are jumping on board this phony “reform” measure. Even the California Republican Party officially endorsed Prop. 31.

However, most voters have grown suspicious of anything… Read More

Pundits routinely write off California as a helplessly blue state, but the fact remains that there are still many vitally important races in the state. The decennial redistricting that took place last year created several new and very competitive districts throughout the state, and the GOP has a great shot at picking up new legislative seats that were previously gerrymandered exclusively to Democrats, and of course the Mayor’s race in San Diego remains a focus of many throughout the state. The need to rebuild an ailing party in California starts with one thing: Money.

Democrats have had an advantage in California for decades due to the massive amounts of money… Read More