West Contra Costa School District putting a half-billion dollar bond before voters in March
West Contra Costa School District putting a half-billion dollar bond before voters in March
One of the most financially mismanaged school districts in California has found a solution to their financial challenges – borrow more money, and let the voters pay more in property taxes. Scheduled to appear on the March 2020 local ballot for voters living within the West Contra Costa Unified School District, Measure R, a “classroom modernization...
By Edward Ring
Public Employee Strike Looms in Santa Clara County
Public Employee Strike Looms in Santa Clara County
With 2020 upon us, it appears likely that two unions representing Santa Clara County employees will be going on strike. Unless agreements can be reached, 3,000 members of the Registered Nurses Professional Association will strike, along with over 11,000 members of the SEIU. When one considers the political leanings of the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors,...
By Edward Ring
Is new property transfer tax plan a blank check?
Is new property transfer tax plan a blank check?
On December 10, the SJ City Council approved a directional plan which aims to allocate to affordable housing monies raised from a proposed new property transfer tax. The plan has no guarantees that the monies will actually be spent on housing and has no guardrails to make sure the money isn’t misspent on overpriced new...
By Christopher Escher
The Manger vs The Monster – Housing California’s Homeless
The Manger vs The Monster – Housing California’s Homeless
“And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.” – Luke 2:7 Advocates for the homeless frequently invoke biblical passages in order to appeal to the Christian compassion that still guides the hearts of most Americans, whether...
By Edward Ring
Montana, SCOTUS, and your kids
Montana, SCOTUS, and your kids
Americans are losing confidence that public schools will improve, but a Supreme Court case could pave the way to greater parental choice. A recent in-depth survey by RealClearPolitics concludes that a majority of registered voters are dissatisfied with the performance of America’s education system and “have little confidence that public schools will improve any time...
By Larry Sand
The Many Unintended Consequences of AB 5
The Many Unintended Consequences of AB 5
By now anyone who works as an independent contractor in California has heard of AB 5, which will force companies to reclassify them as employees. The justification for AB 5, which was reportedly written by the AFL-CIO, is to prevent companies from exploiting workers. Without AB 5, the reasoning goes, companies hire freelancers to do the same work...
By Edward Ring
California Pioneers Subsidized Housing for Public Employees
California Pioneers Subsidized Housing for Public Employees
When it comes to affordable housing, what California’s state legislators have done epitomizes what happens when you have a government bureaucracy that serves itself instead of the public, one that is under the complete control of special interests. They have enacted laws that make it nearly impossible for the private sector to build homes, which...
By Edward Ring
Californians exempt from the consequences of Liberalism
Californians exempt from the consequences of Liberalism
When trying to understand why Californians continue to elect liberals, several explanations routinely surface. Chief among them is the theory that conservatives forever alienated California’s diverse electorate by championing “discriminatory” policies. The early example of this was Prop. 187, passed in 1994, which banned providing government services to illegal aliens. Most of Prop. 187 was overturned in...
By Edward Ring
Pension reform waits for California Supreme Court
Pension reform waits for California Supreme Court
With markets fitfully advancing after a nearly two year pause, the need for pension reform again fades from public discussion. And it’s easy for pension reformers to forget that even when funds are obviously imperiled, with growing unfunded liabilities and continuously increasing demands from the pension funds, hardly anyone understands what’s going on. Unless you are sitting on a...
By Edward Ring
The New Era of SGMA Begins with Problems on the Horizon
The New Era of SGMA Begins with Problems on the Horizon
As the year comes to an end, the beginning of 2020 will bring a multitude of issues and policies to the next legislative session. Groundwater will be one of those issues, as the Sustainability Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) has a deadline of January 31, 2020 for Groundwater Sustainability Plans (GSP) in critically over drafted basins....
By Darin DuPont
Yorba Linda measure a rebuke to Cronyism
Yorba Linda measure a rebuke to Cronyism
Yorba Linda measure a rebuke to cronyism – Orange County Register
By Will Swaim
The Boondoggle Archipelago
The Boondoggle Archipelago
Across California, there is a growing string of islands, exquisite gems in the urban ocean. Dredged from the pockets of taxpayers, and constructed by elite artisans, these pristine islands have been created at stupefying expense. But their beauty is seductive. Each time an island is completed, or even proposed, glowing reports are logged across the...
By Edward Ring
The Seven Deadly Sins of California’s Political Establishment
The Seven Deadly Sins of California’s Political Establishment
California’s politicians are hardly alone in their quest to destroy America’s rights, freedoms, prosperity, culture, traditions, and pride. They just happen to be more advanced in their quest. But since what happens in California often ends up happening later in the rest of the country, it’s vital to highlight just how bad it’s gotten in...
By Edward Ring
The Cost to Taxpayers of Enhancing Sonoma County Employee Pensions
The Cost to Taxpayers of Enhancing Sonoma County Employee Pensions
In the early 2000s, along with many other cities, state agencies and counties in California, Sonoma County enhanced their employee pension benefits. As of 6/30/2018, Sonoma County’s pension system had $2.7 billion of invested assets, but nearly $3.1 billion in actuarial accrued liabilities. To what extent is its $400 million unfunded liability attributable to the...
By Edward Ring