New California Policy Center Study Proposes Pension Funds Invest in Infrastructure
New California Policy Center Study Proposes Pension Funds Invest in Infrastructure
Although Sacramento and Washington DC will be ruled by very different governing philosophies over the next two years, we believe that a centrist approach to infrastructure policy can be a win/win for California Democrats and for Republicans who will control the federal government for the next two years. We analyze promising areas of infrastructure investment,...
By Marc Joffe
Who’s Going to Pay for Trump’s Huge Infrastructure Plans?
Who’s Going to Pay for Trump’s Huge Infrastructure Plans?
A rare point of agreement between President-Elect Trump and Congressional Democrats is that America has an infrastructure deficit: The nation’s transportation, power, water and sewerage facilities are too often outdated and unable to reliably serve a growing population. But while the diagnosis crosses party lines, solutions are more controversial. Democrats may not be too worried...
By Marc Joffe
Invest California’s Pension Funds in Water and Energy Infrastructure
Invest California’s Pension Funds in Water and Energy Infrastructure
“We wanted flying cars, instead we got 140 characters.” – Peter Thiel, in his 2011 manifesto “What Happened to the Future.” Anyone living in California who’s paying attention knows what venture capitalist Thiel meant. While a handful of Silicon Valley social media entrepreneurs have amassed almost indescribable wealth, and fundamentally transformed how humanity communicates, investment in...
By Edward Ring
Firm with School District Contracts is Major Contributor to New Bonds
Firm with School District Contracts is Major Contributor to New Bonds
Officials in Huntington Beach’s Ocean View School District weren’t the only ones hoping for the passage of Measure R on Tuesday. In August, Ledesma & Meyer Construction Company, Inc. of Rancho Cucamonga donated $25,000 to the district’s $319 million tax increase campaign. “Many contractors will contribute to campaigns in an effort to show that they...
By Catrin Thorman
Will Taxpayers get Shafted in the Latest Chapter 9 Bankruptcy?
Will Taxpayers get Shafted in the Latest Chapter 9 Bankruptcy?
When a government files for bankruptcy, bondholders, employees and vendors typically fight for a share of the agency’s assets. But what about taxpayers? Shouldn’t their interests also be considered by the bankruptcy court judge? This is the question we hope will be answered in California’s newest Chapter 9 bankruptcy, that of the West Contra Costa Healthcare...
By Marc Joffe
How These Public Schools Went from ‘Exemplary’ to 'Deteriorating' in Just Months
How These Public Schools Went from ‘Exemplary’ to 'Deteriorating' in Just Months
Just months before they told the public they need billions of dollars in new tax revenue for school repairs, school district officials across California were telling the state Department of Education a very different story: their facilities are in “good” condition — even “exemplary.” The glowing self-assessments are contained in School Accountability Report Cards reviewed...
By Catrin Thorman
How These Public Schools Went from ‘Exemplary’ to ‘Deteriorating’ in Just Months
How These Public Schools Went from ‘Exemplary’ to ‘Deteriorating’ in Just Months
Just months before they told the public they need billions of dollars in new tax revenue for school repairs, school district officials across California were telling the state Department of Education a very different story: their facilities are in “good” condition — even “exemplary.” The glowing self-assessments are contained in School Accountability Report Cards reviewed...
By Catrin Thorman
The Credibility of Public Service
The Credibility of Public Service
California’s government unions are nothing like private sector unions. Their bosses are selected via elections where these unions are the dominant campaign contributors. They get their money through compulsory taxes and therefore don’t have to run efficient operations. They run the machinery of government which lets them intimidate their opponents and act as gatekeeper to...
By Edward Ring
West Contra Costa Healthcare District Goes Bankrupt Again; Time to Throw in the Towel
West Contra Costa Healthcare District Goes Bankrupt Again; Time to Throw in the Towel
On October 20, the West Contra Costa County Healthcare District (WCCHD) filed for Chapter 9 municipal bankruptcy – its second such bankruptcy filing in ten years. In 2015, the district closed its one hospital – Doctors Medical Center in San Pablo – which had been hemorrhaging money for many years. Since WCCHD is insolvent and...
By Marc Joffe
Construction Firms Fund Orange County School Bond Campaigns
Construction Firms Fund Orange County School Bond Campaigns
Companies linked to the school construction industry have placed their November bets on a number of Orange County school bond ballot measures, a California Policy Center investigation of campaign contribution reports collected by the Orange County Registrar of Voters show. Atkinson, Andelson, Loya, Rudd & Romo (AALRR) is a law firm with eight offices across...
By Andrew Heritage
Why are the Economy and Incomes Growing So Slowly?
Why are the Economy and Incomes Growing So Slowly?
Why are so many people unhappy and angry? Why is the electorate turning to populist candidates like Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump? Why are they so mad at the Washington D.C. establishment? What’s the problem? This is the second in a series of articles. The first dealt with the fact that the cost of health...
By Bill Fletcher
In a Political Campaign, City Officials Can Spend Your Money Against You. They Call it 'Education'
In a Political Campaign, City Officials Can Spend Your Money Against You. They Call it 'Education'
This commentary appeared first in the Orange County Register. Californians going to the polls on Nov. 8 will find more than 300 measures to raise taxes. And despite multiple legal decisions limiting the practice, municipal officials in California may be paying outside consultants to run the campaign to sell you on your local tax measure....
By Will Swaim
Contra Costa needs more road capacity, but we don’t need new sales taxes to build it
Contra Costa needs more road capacity, but we don’t need new sales taxes to build it
Along with the grandeur of Yosemite and the beauty of the California coast, there’s our state’s epic rush hours. But sales taxes on the Nov. 8 ballot, like Contra Costa’s Measure X, aren’t the way to solve them. Measure X would add 0.5% to local sales tax rates to fund a variety of transportation projects...
By Marc Joffe
Will the BART Bond Fund Pensions?
Will the BART Bond Fund Pensions?
This fall, voters in San Francisco, Alameda and Contra Costa counties will consider a $3.5 billion BART bond measure. Proponents argue that the measure is required to ensure the system’s safety and reliability. Critics are concerned that bond proceeds will be used to support excessive employee salaries and benefits. BART management denies that claim. In...
By Marc Joffe