Government Union Assault on Taxpayers Continues in California
Government Union Assault on Taxpayers Continues in California
Editor’s Note: This article discusses multiple proposals to raise taxes that are making the rounds in California’s government union controlled state legislature. Two in particular are mentioned, Senate Constitutional Amendment 5 that takes Prop 13 protections away from business owners, and Assembly Constitutional Amendment 4 that lowers the two-thirds vote requirement for local tax increases. On top...
By Jon Coupal
Tough Education Reform, not More Borrowing and Spending, is What Students Need
Tough Education Reform, not More Borrowing and Spending, is What Students Need
Last week the California Policy Center published a major new study that compiled, in exhaustive detail, both the amount that Californians have borrowed to finance public school construction and upgrades, as well as documented the abuses that have diminished the return on these substantial investments. Californians simply don’t realize how much borrowing is going on....
By Edward Ring
What Happens When Public Unions Control Everything for Decades?
What Happens When Public Unions Control Everything for Decades?
Editor’s Note: California and Illinois have a lot in common. Both have diverse, resilient economies, both are large states with most of the population concentrated in urban areas, and both have been controlled for decades by public sector unions. The crucial difference, of course, is that at least in Illinois, there is a reform minded...
By Mike Shedlock
City of Stanton Faces Taxpayer Revolt
City of Stanton Faces Taxpayer Revolt
Back in November 2014, in a 54% to 46% decision, less than 20% of Stanton’s registered voters approved “Measure GG,” which increased their sales tax rate from 8.0% to 9.0%. Needless to say, this measure will not encourage retail businesses to relocate to Stanton, nor will it encourage residents to shop there. But like local tax...
By Edward Ring
San Ramon Fire Protection District Pay and Governance Exemplifies Union Power
San Ramon Fire Protection District Pay and Governance Exemplifies Union Power
In a democracy, the assumption is that civilians exercise the ultimate authority over their government. The citizens elect representatives who will act in the public interest. But what happens when government agencies are disbursed over thousands of jurisdictions, and the people who run these local agencies are virtually unknown? Even citizens who follow politics and vote diligently...
By Edward Ring
California's Union Controlled Legislature to Consider Raising Taxes in Special Session
California's Union Controlled Legislature to Consider Raising Taxes in Special Session
Jerry Brown, who as a candidate for governor in 2010 repeatedly pledged he wouldn’t raise taxes without a popular vote, has called for a special session of the Legislature for the purpose of raising taxes. This despite the fact that general fund revenues have outstripped estimates by almost $6 billion. So now we have the...
By Jon Coupal
University of California Hikes Tuition to Fund Soaring Pensions of up to $350,000 a Year
University of California Hikes Tuition to Fund Soaring Pensions of up to $350,000 a Year
The University of California (UC) is implementing major changes to their retirement system to address its $12.1 billion unfunded liability, which has been cited as the driving factor behind recent tuition hikes. The proposed changes include a cap on pension benefits and the possibility of offering a 401(k) defined contribution plan to new hires. Looking...
By Robert Fellner
Strike by Santa Clara County Workers Averted
Strike by Santa Clara County Workers Averted
Everyone should breathe a sigh of relief. Or should they? Santa Clara County’s nurses, librarians, janitors, dispatchers, and assorted other workers belonging to SEIU Local 521 will not be going on strike after all. At least not yet. Late night negotiations have produced a deal that’s being sent back to the members. The exact terms of...
By Edward Ring
Over 8,000 LA County Retirees Made at Least $100K in Pension Pay as Taxpayer Cost Soars
Over 8,000 LA County Retirees Made at Least $100K in Pension Pay as Taxpayer Cost Soars
Last year, 8,088 retirees in the Los Angeles County Employees’ Retirement Association (LACERA) received yearly pension and medical benefits packages worth at least $100,000, a more than 11% increase from the previous year, according to Transparent California’s recently published 2014 pension data. At the same time, the employer’s annual required contribution – the cost borne by taxpayers...
By Robert Fellner
Public Sector Union Reform Requires Mutual Empathy
Public Sector Union Reform Requires Mutual Empathy
Sorry but you would all be crying like a little b**** if the cops and firefighters that earn every penny they get in retirement were not there when your perfect make believe world falls apart so shut the f*** up. Until you do the job you have no idea what you are talking about. –...
By Edward Ring
Proposition 13 – Protection Against Government Union Greed
Proposition 13 – Protection Against Government Union Greed
In its more than 160 plus year history, few things have remained constant in California. However, since the 1800’s California has taxed all classes of property the same. Thus, when the iconic Prop 13 passed in 1978, it did not differentiate between different kinds of property. All real property – whether residential or commercial –...
By Jon Coupal
Volcker Sounds Alarm Over States' Budget Gimmicks and Pension Assumptions
Volcker Sounds Alarm Over States' Budget Gimmicks and Pension Assumptions
The Volcker Alliance, founded by former Fed chairman Paul Volcker has sounded an alarm over budget gimmicks. The alliance seeks Truth and Integrity in State Budgeting. In the report, the Volcker Alliance examines in detail the budgeting practices of California, New Jersey and Virginia, assessing the effectiveness of each state’s practices. The report highlights the...
By Mike Shedlock
Retiree with $183,690 Annual Pension Attacks Pension Critics
Retiree with $183,690 Annual Pension Attacks Pension Critics
“Critics of public employee retirement benefits are engaging in hyperbole and pointing to potholes as evidence that millions of elderly Californians should be stripped of their retirement savings.” Brian Rice, president, Sacramento Area Fire Fighters, Sacramento Bee, June 2, 2015 Notwithstanding the possibility that saying pension reformers want to see “millions of elderly Californians stripped of their...
By Edward Ring
Look Out For These Pension Gimmicks
Look Out For These Pension Gimmicks
State public pension plans are the future, and often current, greatest liabilities that state governments must tackle. Promises made to employees in the past, and politicians kicking the problem further into the future have made the problem spiral out of control. Economists agree that the current discounting of liabilities leaves much to be desired. State...
By Joe Esposito