Last week on CalBuzz I penned a column outlining how I thought a bipartisan deal could be put together to end the Single Sales Factor tax break (a goal of Governor Brown) — but that it would not be accomplished through the plan the Brown put on the table. You can read that column here, which goes into great detail on why conservatives have an important motivation to get rid of this particular break (rewarding bad behavior is not a good thing).

That having been said, how do you get conservatives on board with getting rid of the Single Sales Factor tax break? It’s simple. Two things. The first is that it must be replaced with an equivalent level of tax cuts so that the ending of the Singe Sales Factor break is revenue neutral to the state. The second is broad based tax relief. Ideally this relief would come in the form of a permanent (admittedly slight) reduction in the state’s sales or income… Read More

Early last week, along with our friends the Boyz at CalBuzz and Joel Fox at F&HDaily, we broke the story that there was a lot of “back room chatter” about an idea that the unions have been floating – to have their tools in the state legislature push through a new law that would expressly prohibit ballot initiatives from appearing on the statewide June ballot each election year. The primary reason for this is situational, of course. The unions think that they are at a political disadvantage if an initiative measure appears on the June ballot to ban direct contributions to candidates by unions (or corporations) and that prohibits government (or corporations) from taking funds from employee payments for political purposes. Well, we’ve heard from one of… Read More

I sent a letter to theGovernor and legislative leaders todayurging them to consider aproposal by Amazon.com that would bring an estimated 7,000 jobs to California. I also asked them to re-evaluate the projected budget revenue associated with the “Amazon Tax” (AB 28X).

Read my letter here.… Read More

I have to admit to having been a bit nervous and distracted all week. You see I was asked by popular conservative radio talk show host Roger Hedgecock (the former Mayor of San Diego) if I would be willing to guest-host a day of his program, as he would be on vacation. Of course I agreed, but it was only a few days ago that I started to understand how much work goes on “off the air” in order to put on a great radio program for three hours. That having been said, I think that we pulled it off. And when I say we, it is not the “royal”” we — I want to thank longtime FR friend Jennifer Jacobs, who works with Hedgecock, and was very helpful (especially yesterday in studio) in keeping me sane.

The show is cut up into three segments — Hour 1, Hour 2, and Hour 3 — and was recorded yesterday from 3pm – 6pm and is now available for your listening pleasure, if you missed out on it live. I will provide the direct links the the MP3 files below, but all of Roger’s shows are on iTunes, and also available on his own website, RogerHedgecock.com.

Hour… Read More

According to the Los Angeles Times, Governor Jerry Brown is “leaning against” a proposed deal to bring an estimated 7,000 Amazon.com jobs to California. The Governor is concerned that a deal would somehow cost the state revenue.

If the Governor truly believes the ‘Amazon Tax’ is going to generate millions in revenue for the state this year, he’s mistaken. Board of Equalization staff have determined that the projected $200 million in revenue will not materialize this year.

As of today we’re not aware of a single online retailer that has registered with BOE to collect sales tax because of AB 28X. According to Board of Equalization staff, the number of out-of-state registrations in July 2011 was actually lower than July 2010.

Additionally, should a referendum qualify for the ballot, the law would be suspended until a vote of the people in June or November of next year. That would mean the ‘Amazon Tax’ would be a guaranteed money loser this fiscal year, since terminated affiliates will pay… Read More

My good friend Rex Hime recently penned a column for the Flash Report citing several instances where conservatives in other states supported “e-fairness” legislation.

That’s an interesting debate for another day. The issue before us today is not about the “Amazon Tax” itself—that bill already passed the Legislature this summer with only one Republican vote.

The issue before us is whether or not Republican lawmakers should support Assembly Bill 155—a blatant attempt by Democrats to block California voters from holding a referendum on the “Amazon Tax.” By cementing this failed policy into law with a 2/3rds vote of the Legislature, California voters would be denied the opportunity to overturn the “Amazon Tax.”

AB 155 is a slap in the face to the nearly one million California voters who have already signed petitions calling for a referendum of the “Amazon Tax.”

The Democrats know California voters aren’t on their side on this issue. A recent… Read More

The congressional approval rating recently hit a rock-bottom 12%. The Tea Party movement was founded on the public’s dissatisfaction with elected leaders and the growth of government–particularly its inefficiencies. This discontent signifies a deep-rooted disconnect. Voters feel more than ever that their voices aren’t heard in the halls of power. They think their votes don’t matter. And they think that no matter what they do, their leaders won’t listen to their concerns. The contentious townhall meetings last summer and simmering public rage that boiled over are just one example of this growing sentiment.

It’s this disconnect between the public and its government that led Orange County entrepreneur Tim Yale to found a new social network called TellDC.com (I am excited to be doing some professional work with Tim.) The site allows members to join for free and then post either written or video questions on their representatives’ profile pages. To get an answer, the question must meet a certain threshold of votes… Read More

How will parents react when they find out they will be expected to provide workers’ compensation benefits, rest and meal breaks and paid vacation time for…babysitters? Dinner and a movie night may soon become much more complicated.

Assembly Bill 889 (authored by Assemblymember Tom Ammiano of San Francisco) will require these protections for all “domestic employees,” including nannies, housekeepers and caregivers. The bill has already passed the Assembly and is quickly moving through the Senate with blanket support from the Democrat members that control both houses of the Legislature – and without the support of a single Republican member. Assuming the bill will easily clear its last couple of legislative hurdles, AB 889 will soon be on its way to the Governor’s desk.

Under AB 889, household “employers” (aka “parents”) who hire a babysitter on a Friday night will be legally obligated to pay at least minimum wage to any sitter over the age of 18 (unless it is a family member), provide a substitute caregiver every two hours to cover rest and meal breaks, in addition to workers’ compensation coverage, overtime pay, and a meticulously calculated… Read More