AB 155, as proposed to be amended, will retroactively repeal the “Amazon Tax” for a year or longer, allowing time for impacted parties to seek a federal solution to the dispute.

This is far from a perfect plan, but politics is the art of compromise. It’s a good thing when competing interests are able to come together on a contentious issue.

The deal provides at least a one year reprieve for affiliate businesses whose livelihoods have been disrupted by the dispute. It allows time for impacted parties to seek a federal solution to this issue. Congress has always been the right venue for this conversation.

However, I’m disappointed that this deal provides no certainty for thousands of affiliates who partner with out-of-state online retailers other than Amazon. The uncertainty will discourage these companies from creating new jobs and investing in our state.

Furthermore, the Legislature refused to include a pathway to immediately bring Amazon jobs to California. I’ll be working with Amazon and legislators to find a way to expedite their presence in order to bring thousands of new jobs to our state as soon as possible.

Throughout the year… Read More

UPDATE: 1AM SATURDAY MORNING As expected, on a party-line vote the State Senate and State Assembly rammed this terrible legislation through the legislature in the dead of night, and it now sits on Governor Brown’s desk… Original Post The most egregious “gut and amend” mushroom bill of the day will most… Read More

Senate Bill 202 is wrong on its substance alone, but is compounded by the “dark-of-night” process by which the bill is being advanced.

SB 202, of course, is the union-backed legislation that would move critical reform ballot initiatives from the June 2012 election, to the November 2012 election.

As if that weren’t bad enough, we have never seen a Legislature so hell-bent on pulling something over on the people in the dark of night. As of yesterday afternoon, the bill language wasn’t even available in print.

In good faith, millions of voters in California lawfully signed petitions to put critically-needed reforms on the ballot. But with these antics, the Democrats in the Legislature has proven they will go to any length to please their labor union bosses, even if they have to deny Californians their day the ballot box. Californians deserved better than this pathetic display of politics. Make no mistake, democracy delayed is democracy denied.… Read More

The last days of the legislative session before adjournment are always filled with an array of last minute surprises. Nevertheless, I’ll admit my shock when a brazen gut-and-amend bill with far-reaching implications appeared. Assembly Bill 101, a bill to unionize child care workers, is co-authored by Assembly Speaker John Perez and Senate President pro Tempore Darrell Steinberg.

Only a couple of weeks ago, Assembly Bill 889 (Ammiano), affectionately known as “The Babysitter Bill,” showed up on the radar, although the bill has already passed the Assembly and appeared to be on track to make to the Governor’s desk. AB 889 would require household “employers” (aka parents) to pay minimum wage, provide workers’ compensation benefits, meal and rest breaks, as well as overtime pay to any “domestic employee,” even a babysitter, over the age of 18 from the first hour worked. AB 101 picks up where AB 889 leaves off.

Both licensed and license-exempt child care providers who receive state subsidies will be required to join an exclusive “provider organization” if 50% or more of those targeted “show interest.” Sign a card, join the union. No… Read More

Media reports indicate that Amazon.com and legislative leaders have struck a deal to delay implementation of the “Amazon Tax” for at least a year.

I’m withholding judgment until I see the actual language of the deal. But I can say this much: any deal must be about California jobs.

Will this deal protect California’s remaining affiliate businesses? Will it bring back the businesses destroyed by the failed ‘Amazon Tax?’

Will it encourage new investment and job creation in our state by Amazon and other online retailers? Or will it continue to punish those out-of-state companies that dare to provide jobs and income for… Read More

“The inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of its blessings. The inherent virtue of socialism is the equal sharing of its miseries.” – Sir Winston Churchill

Socialism Has Failed………Again: The last month has not been a good one for the now highly interconnected world economy. Certainly, we have many problems in the US, with crushing debts and deficits and no job growth or really any growth in the economy at all. Expectations that the future looks bleak add to a lack of investment and risk-taking as more and more people stick their financial heads in the sand. But, it’s even worse in Europe and other places around the world. The huge fiscal problems in countries like Greece, Portugal, Ireland, Italy and Spain may result in debt defaults and are affecting not just their growth, but ours as well.

If you look at the problems in this country and those in Europe, you find that they are really just differing degrees of the same problem. Our governments (federal, state and local) in the US have spent too much money and borrowed too much money and now don’t have enough… Read More

Follow FlashReport on Twitter (@flashreport) or check it out at http://www.twitter.com/flashreport!… Read More

Last week, Governor Brown made a big splash pushing a business tax reform proposal. This issue involves how national and international corporations are taxed under California law. As the result of the budget deal crafted two years ago (a deal that hit citizen taxpayers hard) corporations were given a choice over how they were taxed. The details aren’t that important for normal people and the issue is a bit complicated. (There was a humorous moment when Darrell Steinberg said “this is simple” and, moments later, Jerry Brown said this is a “complicated issue” and he wasn’t even sure he understood it.)

Whether corporations should be given the opportunity to elect how they are taxed might very well be a legitimate discussion to have. (But Joel Fox makes the valid point that the absence of predictability due to these radical changes in tax policy every few months is a contributing factor to the perception that California is anti-business, if not outright weird). What is clear is that the elimination of the right to elect would be a tax increase. Pure and simple. Moreover, any such proposal requires a two-thirds vote of each house. The good news… Read More