California Voters Approve Billions in Local Taxes and Borrowing

By Edward Ring
11/12/2020
In March 2020, for the first time in a generation, Californians did not approve the overwhelming majority of new tax and bond proposals that were put before them. Out of 125 proposed local bonds, only 31 percent passed; out of 111 proposed local tax increases, only 41 percent passed. Early returns from the November 2020 ballot show Californians...

TAGS: california election results, California public sector compensation, California tax increases

How Much do California’s State Workers Make?

By Edward Ring
11/05/2020
Californians pay the highest overall taxes in the United States, with more to come. The Democratic supermajority in the state legislature is considering AB 1253 that would raise the top income tax rate to 16.8 percent, and AB 2088 that would impose an annual 0.4 percent tax on any California resident’s net worth in excess of $30 million. On...

TAGS: California public sector compensation, California taxes, public pensions

California’s Government Workers Make TWICE As Much as Private Sector Workers

By Edward Ring
01/24/2017
Earlier today the California Policy Center released a study that provided facts about government compensation. It examined state and local payroll data provided online by the California State Controller and proved that the average pay and benefits for a full-time state/local government employee in 2015 was $121,843. At the same time, the study found that the average...

TAGS: California cost of living, California public sector compensation