First Rule of Government – Government never has enough money,

There is always a good excuse for bigger government and higher taxes. If office holders think it is their job to “be responsible,” they will always be persuaded to raise taxes, because those who get and spend the money will show the officeholder why the taxes are necessary, or how the officeholder will benefit if they vote for the new taxes. What they won’t do is tell them what the voters will do when that officeholder seeks higher office. Most of the tax increase votes described below came when the state was facing dire financial circumstances, and the voters were still unforgiving. Think of how they will feel when there is no serious financial consequences for the state if the the tax increase is voted down.

Don’t get me wrong, those who are thinking of voting for the tax increase this year may not lose their primary (although that is not a guarantee), but they will most undoubtedly lose if they seek any other office. Ask Assemblyman Dick Dickerson, who, in 2001, voted for tax increase because he was sold that it would help his rural district. When he ran for State… Read More

Part ll in a series. Part l is here.

The metastasis of statewide diesel truck regulations created by the California Air Resources Board has forced many large and small truckers out of business. The truckers still in business have had to spend $20,000 to $50,000 per truck retrofit with the CARB’s expensive, mandated Diesel Particulate Filter, or they have had to buy newer model trucks to meet the new regulations. New trucks are hugely expensive.

By the stroke of a pen from unelected career bureaucrats hiding behind layers of government, millions of trucks were suddenly deemed illegal.… Read More

The success of anti-establishment presidential candidates are a powerful reminder that mainstream politicians are not managing America’s political economy or cultural evolution in a way that satisfies most of the electorate. That’s no surprise – it’s a toughjob these days, with few historical precedents to offer guidance.

Earlier this week an essay published in theAsia Times,“A Millennial conundrum: Communism and youth,” offered a concise set of reasons why so many millennials are supporting democraticsocialist candidate Bernie Sanders.The author, Chan Akya, didn’t chastise these youth for their selfish naivete, causedby receiving too many participation trophies during their sheltered childhoods. Instead he gave the following reasons:

“(1) Sharing economy: Technology has propelled sharing into new markets, from cars and vacation homes after opening up personal space on platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. For people with itinerant lifestyles driven by mobility in jobs, such a sharing economy may end up shaking the… Read More

Today, I joined a 3-2 Board of Equalization vote to lower the state excise tax on gasoline by 2.2 cents per gallon effective July 1, 2016.

Our vote was simply a matter of fairness. Californians overpaid gas tax last year because of a bizarre formula known as the ‘gas tax swap’ passed by lawmakers in 2010. Lowering the rate is the right thing to do, and I’m sure Californians will welcome this reduction.

Unfortunately, even after the cut goes into effect, Californians will still pay some of the highest taxes in the nation. What we need now is for lawmakers to simplify our tax laws and look for ways to provide value for the money that Californians send to government.… Read More

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In the last election, Californians elected more than enough Republicans to the state legislature to give the GOP the ability to block Democratic efforts to raise taxes in Sacramento.

Grover Norquist

This is one key job for Republican legislators in California:Stop the never-ending push from Democrats for billions in higher taxes.

California has nation’s the highest marginal income tax rate, the 8th highest corporate tax rate, and the 6th highest

While the state of California is extracting billions of dollars from businesses and utilities through the California Air Resources Board’s cap-and-trade program auctions, the Legislature can’t decide how to spend the billions.

Instead, lawmakers have been arguing over how to direct the monies into their own districts on some rather dubious projects, and predictably, on public transit and light rail trains.

Gov. Jerry Brown has his own dubious project: He carved out more than $1 billionof cap-and-trade revenue… Read More

Citing the importance of getting conservative candidates, operatives and activists the training needed to win on the political battlefield, the Leadership Institute is bringing its comprehensive Campaign Academy to Orange County for a five month program that kicks off on March 5.

Learning the skills involved to effectively organize and communicate in a winning campaign can’t be done in just one weekend “campaign bootcamp,” so the Leadership Institute developed a program that provides in-depth training and exercises for participating conservatives in a program that takes place one Saturday each month for five months. Each session is focused on a specific area of campaigns: strategy, communications, candidate development, fundraising and voter contact. The program is taught by faculty members who are experts in their respective fields, so participants learn that skills that can be applied in the real world right away.

Three times the Campaign Academy program has run in San Diego, with now well over 100 conservatives prepared to develop a campaign plan, build effective campaign communications, raise funds, build a winning narrative, and more.… Read More

Like rampaging Godzilla in all those Japanese monster movies, the unpopular and expensive bullet train has proven almost impossible to kill. However, the project’s critics may have a new weapon that will stop it dead in its tracks. Using the initiative process, opponents hope the public will be willing to trade the train for an increased and more reliable water supply, a seemingly attractive proposal after years of drought.

Looking back, it is clear the 2008 campaign that convinced voters to approve a $10 billion bond to kick off the bullet train, was a con. It was built on fantasy. You can almost hear the cigar chomping carnival barker calling out, “Step right up, get on board, we’ll whisk you between Los Angeles and San Francisco in only couple of hours for the inconsequential sum of just 50 bucks.”

Additionally, voters were promised the entire project would come in at less than $35 billion, the balance of which would come from private sector investment and the federal government.

To read the entire column click here … Read More