We just got this in from longtime FR friend Assemblyman Brian Nestande, who has long been a proponent of transparency in the legislature…

It is ironic that one week after California celebrated “Sunshine Week,” which highlights the need for more openness in state government, the majority party in Sacramento passed shell budget bills that keep taxpayers in the dark on how their hard-earned tax dollars will be spent.

During yesterday’s Assembly session, Democrats passed 37 empty budget spot bills to the Senate. The Senate passed a similar number of bills over to the Assembly. The proposals did not contain any specific language, but will be amended at a later date to reflect the majority party’s budget proposal.

Californians deserve to know how the Legislature is spending their money. Passing budget bills where the details will be decided in a back room shuts taxpayers out of the budget process.

The Assembly should be voting on fully-detailed budget proposals that can later be reconciled with proposals from the Senate, not shell measures that will later be… Read More

I don’t like to get involved in a back and forth on issues on which I blog, but when someone comments on what I say, I want them to begin their comments by correctly stating what I said.

In this case, John Hrabe commented on my position on Proposition 28 by saying I was saying that the founding fathers would have opposed term limits. I said nothing of the sort.

My comments began with my analysis of the effects of term limits in the Legislature right now, from my personal observations.

This is where I agree with John. The process corrupts even the best of us. That, however, is normal. We are all human, and it takes a person of incredible moral insight and strength to avoid the temptations of political office. There are lines of people who wait to feed the egos of politicians, and, unfortunately, too many of those politicians fall victim to the ego strokes. The good news is, however, is that a politician who does fall victim to those temptations has to face the voters, and if it gets too bad, they will lose.

Unfortunately, the special interests who feed the politician’s ego don’t face the voters, and don’t really care who… Read More

This video speaks for itself…

… Read More

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I received a statement from Assemblyman Jim Nielsen regarding a piece of legislation authored by Assembly Speaker John Perez that would change the “single sales factor” system of taxation in a way that would cause certain out-of-state businesses that do business in this state to get hit with a big increase in the taxes that they have to pay. Nielsen also sent along a California Republican Party resolution on this matter, adopted at the last CRP Convention, which is also below.

“Governor Jerry Brown said that he thinks Assembly Speaker Perez’s $1 billion tax increase on companies for middle class scholarships is “a good idea.” This just a day after he capitulated to the public unions’ demands by incorporating the worst portions of their tax hikes into his plan. Families, business owners, students and taxpayers should be fully aware of the coming battle in 2012: Jerry Brown, legislative Democrats and the unions are launching a nuclear tax attack on California.… Read More

In the second “episode” of our saga on fixing our problems and bringing America a new period of growth and optimism, I will address an issue that none of you will be surprised to see me tackle – the debt and deficit. Since I was first elected to the California State Assembly in 2000, trying to get government to tax, spend and waste less has been a major priority for me. As such, you have heard a lot from me on this issue. So, I will not repeat much of what I have said incessantly for years so that I don’t become electronic Ambien for you.

Instead, let me put this problem/opportunity in the context of the larger issue we are talking about. Implementing a plan to gradually fix our deficits and reduce our debt is a necessary but not sufficient condition for growth. Fixing the deficit will not in and of itself free the economy for sustained prosperity. There are other things we have to do that I will write about in future episodes. Suffice it to say, fixing the deficit is not a sufficient condition. But, it is a necessary one. If we don’t do it, we will certainly bring on a crisis which will plunge us into a long and… Read More

It might not make the experience any less painful, but next time you fill up your gas tank, try figuring out how much you just paid in taxes. Do the math, and you’ll soon discover that rising fuel prices are a whole lot better for the government than they are for you.

California consumers pay the highest prices for fuel anywhere in the continental United States. These prices include hidden taxes that help drive up fuel prices. Each and every time fuel prices rise, our taxes go up too.

According to the American Petroleum Institute, California’s gasoline taxes and fees, averaging 67 cents per gallon, are tied with Connecticut’s as the second highest in the nation. California’s diesel taxes are the highest in the nation, averaging 75.9 cents per gallon.

Included in the price you pay for gasoline are a (1) federal excise tax of 18.4 cents per gallon, (2) state excise tax of 35.7 cents per gallon and (3) sales tax of 2.25% plus applicable local taxes. Notably, the sales tax is calculated on the total price of the fuel sale including excise taxes, resulting in double taxation—California consumers pay a tax on a tax.

According… Read More

The Bureau of Sanitation for the City of Los Angeles falls under the authority of Mayor Anthony Villaraigosa. Clearly he knows that the “Bureau” is pushing a draconian city-wide ban on all paper and plastic bags at grocery and convenience stores. As he should, of course — he should know everything of significance that takes place under his watch of the city. Pushing outrageous public policy items like this without his consent would be very significant and disturbing. The extremist agenda at the Bureau of Sanitation apparently is to heap more regulation on thousands of retail stores trying to turn a profit and employ people in an already over-regulated city inside of an insanely over-regulated state. The Bureau’s proposal is to ban paper and plastic shipping bags at grocery and convenience stores, and force every Los Angeles resident to buy reusable bags at the store every time they shop (or I guess keep them in their cars to whip out when they happen to go to the store). But the Bureau does not have the unilateral authority to enact such a ban. That can only be done by the City Council.

I am not making this up — the tail is, in… Read More

I’m sure that our FlashReport readers in the State Capitol, who are all over-worked and under-paid, have lots to be doing at 1:30 p.m. tomorrow. That having been said, I have been asked by Californians for Term Limits to speak on behalf of the “No on 28” campaign before a “Joint Information Hearing of the Senate Committee on Elections and Constitutional Amendments and the Assembly Committee on Elections and Redistricting.” The hearing is tomorrow, Tuesday, at 1:30pm in Room 3191 of the State Capitol. (… Read More