We have all “rolled our eyes” at some of the statements over the years by John Burton, the former California Senate President Pro-Tempore who is currently the long-time-serving State Chairman of the California Democrat Party. The former San Francisco legislator is so prone to say inane and provocative things that I have had reporters tell me that it’s always entertaining to interview him because, well, you just never know if he is going to step in it again.

Of course by now, most people have heard about latest inappropriate comment made by Burton, for which the word “inappropriate” may be the understatement of the century. Burton is, of course, back in Charlotte, North Carolina where he is heading up the California delegation to the Democratic National Convention. He gave an interview to CBS radio’s Doug Sovern that was rude, disrespectful, and so incendiary that it made the Drudge Report, and dozens of news stories, and ultimately had even President Obama’s campaign distancing themselves from it. John Burton compared the Republicans, and Congressman Paul Ryan in particular, to infamous Nazi Joseph Goebbels, who served… Read More

The California Senate killed Assembly Speaker John Pérez’s AB 1500, which would have taxed out-of-state businesses. Ding dong, one more tax measure is dead… for now.

Perez worked like a mad man on Friday to try and nab enough Republican support for his “middle class scholarship” bill. But it wasn’t about the scholarship–it was just one more attempt to tax businesses for another type of California welfare program.

When Perez saw that he didn’t have the votes at the eleventh hour, he gave in.

Single Sales Factor

AB 1500 was a $1 billion tax increase on out-of-state businesses that create jobs, pay taxes on their property, sales and payroll receipts, and have thousands of employees in California.

As California Employers Against Higher Taxes correctly pointed out, “Proposition 24 sought to make this change in 2010, and California voters overwhelmingly rejected it by two million votes.”

Perez said that a tax loophole is costing California $1 billion per year. But it was not really a loophole: Until the 2011 tax year, corporations had been calculating income taxes using property, payroll and sales for more… Read More

Here’s a superb SAN DIEGO U-T op-ed on California HSR — especially the “outing” of the generally ignored “private” HSR boondoggle from Victorville to Las Vegas. The piece is authored by my friends at the REASON Foundation.

I had not previously seen this expose’ of the Vegas HSR scheme. Turns out it’s a gigantic taxpayer loan subsidy. More crony capitalism.

Subsidized HSR (there is no other kind) is a pet peeve of mine. One of hundreds, actually. But the madness surrounding HSR moves it easily into the top five.

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http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2012/aug/30/train-seeks-taxpayer-money-in-hopes-of-private/

By Wendell Cox & Adrian T. Moore

Thursday, August 30, 2012

San Diegans are being asked to pay for a couple of costly trains they likely won’t ride very often. State and federal taxpayers are picking up the bill for… Read More

Republican National Committeeman from California, is a well known fixture here at the FlashReport. He’s in Tampa in and is live blogging the Republican National Convention…

An artist designed the build up toward Mitt Romney’s big speech…

It began organically with people who knew him personally. Just like a attorney presenting as evidence in front of the jury…

He called for “fact” witnesses..

His first witness was a Mormon Elder who testified about the thousands of hours that Romney gave in service to people in his church…

A mother tearfully spoke about Mitt’s commitment to her prematurely born child with severe brain damage…

An elderly couple remembered the time that Mitt spent with 14-year-old son, who was dying from a terminal illness. Mitt spent a lot of time… Read More

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This just in from Grover Norquist, President of Americans for Tax Reform, concerning SB 1455, legislation by Democrat Christine Kehoe of San Diego to enact $2.3 billion in car taxes…

Americans for Tax Reform is urging California legislators to vote “NO” on Senate Bill 1455, legislation that would impose approximately $2 billion dollars in higher vehicle taxes through one of the most surreptitious legislative maneuvers in the country. At a time when Californians are coping with a struggling economy and one of the highest unemployment rates in the nation, it’s unconscionable that some lawmakers see fit to continue to pile on with the same type of job-killing tax increases that got the state into its current economic mess.

SB 1455 aims to extend costly vehicle taxes,… Read More

Probolsky Research has just released the results of some statewide survey questions. Below is a brief video from Adam Probolsky presenting some top notes. You can see more details here.

… Read More

I just heard from longtime FlashReport friend (and blogger) State Senator Doug La Malfa. He wanted to let FlashReport readers know to not be alarmed at the news that this fine conservative has resigned, effective at the end of the legislative session (sometime in the wee hours tomorrow morning, no doubt). For those following North State politics, La Malfa is now the Republican nominee for Congress in the sprawling First Congressional seat, which is considered a “safe” seat for the GOP. The makeup of that seat is largely that of one currently occupied by retiring conservative Congressman Wally Herger.

“I’ve thrown my hat over the fence and am taking nothing for granted in my campaign for Congress, but I do not feel it would be right to wait until the end of the year to resign from the Senate. Resigning now gives the Governor the ability to consolidate elections, saving local counties and taxpayers at least $2 million.”

As mentioned by La Malfa, by resigning from the State Senate now, it allows the Governor to consolidate the special election to fill the State Senate race with the… Read More

To Republican Legislators From Jon Fleischman RE: SB 1455

Today you will be asked to consider a vote for SB 1455 (Kehoe), a bill that contains massive increases in car taxes/fees to the tune of over $2.3 billion dollars. As a tax increase, this bill is appropriately scored as requiring a two-thirds vote, which means that in order for it to get to the Governor’s desk, it must garner bipartisan support — yes, Republicans would have to vote for it.

Like all of the bills put forward by the Democrats that require a two-thirds vote, this bill contains some regulatory release for some businesses that are being slammed with onerous regulations due to the outrageous AB 32 regulations and other noxious CARB edicts. This continues an ongoing practice — forcing Republicans to pay Peter to pay Paul — or to be more specific, to provide regulatory relief for one group of people by passing taxes/fees on another group of people.

Understand that when the various car taxes/fees that are set to sunset in 2015 that would be extended under SB 1455 will into the next decade, to 2023, they were promised to be TEMPORARY. That is why the END. It is… Read More