Over the last months of budget negotiations, there has not been evidence of a proposal forwarded by a state legislator of either party that reduces spending by the $40 billion necessary to balance the budget without a sizable tax increase. If that proposal exists, it has not benefited from sufficiently wide support from that legislator’s colleagues to become part of the budget debate.

Because of a lack of an alternative that balances the budget solely through spending cuts, it’s been apparent for some time that the final budget agreement will ultimately involve a considerable amount of additional taxes. That’s not a good thing, but it’s a thing. So at this point, Republicans have two options: either continue the stalemate indefinitely or propose that alternate budget. The lack of a state government holds great ideological appeal, but creates practical difficulties. So the question is: where is that alternative budget and the plan for building public and political support for it?

The budget before the Legislature is no cause for celebration. It’s unlikely that the Republican leaders who have been part of the negotiations –… Read More

This just in from Grover Norquist, Prsident of Americans for Tax Reform…

Today the Republican Party here in California is at a crossroads.

We watched from here in the Golden State while the GOP’s brand name was severely damaged by a Republican President and Senate and House majorities earlier this decade, when with GOP control, our party “presided” over growth in the size and scope of the federal government. Credibility is now an issue for our party, because our rhetoric did not match our actions.

Today, on a holiday weekend, on Valentine’s Day no less, at night, the State Legislature will gather in the State Capitol to vote on a state budget deal that is really, really bad news for California taxpayers and their families – the center point of this place is $14.8 billion in new taxes (more like $70 billion in new taxes over five years if all of the taxpayer-pain envisioned in this plan comes to fruition). I won’t spend time in this column blasting away at the poor policy reasons to oppose this plan, Assemblyman Chuck DeVore, Jon Coupal with the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association and John Kabateck with the National… Read More

Today the Republican Party here in California is at a crossroads.

We watched from here in the Golden State while the GOP’s brand name was severely damaged by a Republican President and Senate and House majorities earlier this decade, when with GOP control, our party “presided” over growth in the size and scope of the federal government. Credibility is now an issue for our party, because our rhetoric did not match our actions.

Today, on a holiday weekend, on Valentine’s Day no less, at night, the State Legislature will gather in the State Capitol to vote on a state budget deal that is really, really bad news for California taxpayers and their families – the center point of this place is $14.8 billion in new taxes (more like $70 billion in new taxes over five years if all of the taxpayer-pain envisioned in this plan comes to fruition). I won’t spend time in this column blasting away at the poor policy reasons to oppose this plan, Assemblyman Chuck DeVore, Jon Coupal with the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association and John Kabateck with the National Federation of Independent… Read More

Friday at noon, San Bernardino County Assessor Bill Postmus officially resigned and vacated his elected office.

It is a significant milestone, if not likely the end of a once-promising political career.

Some of you may have been curious as to why I have been silent on the ongoing controversies involving Bill as well as his indicted former top assistant, Adam Aleman. This is only fair considering the fact that Bill and I worked together for many years before he moved on to the Assessor’s Office.

Frankly, I should let you know that I haven’t talked to my old friend for quite some time, for a variety of good reasons. One of these reasons was the fact that the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors is the only board in the state with the authority to remove a county elected official. It involves a quasi-judicial process, which required me to maintain a significant degree of impartiality.

I have no idea where the ongoing investigations involving Mr. Postmus will now lead. It is, however, a shame that the good things Bill accomplished in office will be necessarily overshadowed for some time by his actual, alleged and perceived… Read More

Apologists for the massive $14 billion tax increase being advanced as a solution to the chronic state deficit like to point to 1991 as validation of this strategy.

Then, as now, California was in the depths of recession. Then, as now, the confronted a historically huge budget deficit — which at the time was $14 billion.

At the end of the day, Gov. Pete Wilson struck a deal with the Democratic majority to erase the deficit with $7 billion in tax hikes and $7 billion spending cuts, and succeeding in toppling Assembly GOP Leader Ross Johnson and pealing off the necessary 7 Republicans to vote for the deal.

Conventional wisdom, viewing that deal through the gauzy mists of time, hails it as a grand compromise of statesmanlike proportion that restored health to the budget, and as a model that we should emulate today.

Too bad it’s a myth, because inflicting a massive tax increase on a weak economy had the opposite effect, and the next year the state was faced with a $3 billion deficit.

Former Sen. Ray Haynes laid out the truth of what transpired in this 2005… Read More

The massive Obama “porkulus” bill just passed the House. Not one Republican voted for it. Wish I could say that every Senate GOPer would do the same…… Read More

We’ve all seen those "what they’re saying" PR missives organizations send: round-ups of media quotes praising the pet project or cause of the transmitting organization.

But it’s downright depressing to see one from the Senate Republican Caucus promoting tax increases!

It was surreal to open my "Republican Budget Solutions" e-mail the Senate GOP Caucus this morning, and find it chockful of quotes from liberal editorial pages, heaping praise upon the massive tax increase package being touted as a Budget solution."

We have entered through-the-looking glass territory. opposing higher taxes and supporting tax reduction is one of the few issues on which California Republican retain credibility with the voters — and it’s absolutely insane to believe it is worth pawning our party’s soul in exchange for a budget deal that is certain to fail as a solution to the budget deficit.

Sen. Dave Cogdill is dead wrong to claim this is the "best deal" we can get. Enabling the state to gobble an even greater portion of the people’s wealth while simultaeously forsaking the Republican Party… Read More