California Cities Hike Minimum Wage as Economy Falters

By Edward Ring
04/09/2020
Until further notice, California’s economy is in free fall. As of April 6, California’s Employment Development Department reported receiving 1.9 million new unemployment insurance claims within barely three weeks. As reported in the San Jose Mercury, during the entire 2008 Great Recession, only 2.2. million unemployment claims were submitted. It’s impossible to know how long these unemployment claims...

TAGS: coronavirus, Edward Ring, Edward Ring, Gavin Newsom, Minimum Wage

Suggested Executive Orders for Governor Gavin Newsom

By Edward Ring
04/09/2020
Throughout the last several weeks, Governor Gavin Newsom has issued a number of executive orders to combat the spread of the COVID-19 virus. Without criticizing the tremendous efforts that are already being made, I want to propose a few additional steps that California’s governor could further contain the damage this virus is wreaking. Some of...

TAGS: coronavirus, Edward Ring, Edward Ring, Gavin Newsom

California Cities in Critical Condition

By Edward Ring
03/18/2020
The specter of California’s cities and counties becoming insolvent is nothing new. Three major California cities have already declared bankruptcy, Vallejo in 2008, Stockton and San Bernardino in 2012. In October 2019, the California State Auditor’s Office reported on the fiscal health of 471 California cities. On what the California State Auditor’s office describes as a “Local Government...

TAGS: Edward Ring, Edward Ring, unfunded liabilities

Government Pensions Are Dividing Americans and Damaging the Economy

By Edward Ring
03/17/2020
Now that financial markets around the world are experiencing a long-overdue correction, the best we can hope for is that we hit bottom before a deflationary cascade causes a worldwide depression. Those economists who believe in the long-term debt cycle may claim that this time the end has arrived, and they may be right. COVID-19, oil price...

TAGS: CalPERS, COVID-19, Edward Ring, Edward Ring, pensions

Californians reject new taxes and borrowing

By Edward Ring
03/12/2020
The preliminary election returns reported on March 4th indicate that California’s voters delivered a stunning rejection of new taxes and borrowing. It’s about time. At the state level, Prop.13 which would have authorized $15 billion in general obligation bonds for schools and colleges, required a simple majority for approval. But as of March 9th the...

TAGS: CalTax, Edward Ring, Edward Ring, Prop. 13

Teachers Union Promotes Property Tax Increase

By Edward Ring
02/06/2020
Last week what is arguably California’s most powerful political special interest, the California Teachers Association (CTA), or teachers union, held its quarterly State Council of Education meeting at the plush Westin Bonaventure Hotel in downtown Los Angeles. The CTA reported revenues of $209 million on their most recent IRS Form 990 (results through 8/31/2018), and their total assets increased...

TAGS: CTA, Edward Ring, Edward Ring, Prop. 13, teachers union

Using Online Resources to Qualify Ballot Measures

By Edward Ring
01/29/2020
There is a mass delusion afflicting millions of Californians. They endure a cost-of-living nearly twice the national average, high taxes, the highest incidence of poverty, the most hostile business climate, some of the worst K-12 schools, well over a $1.0 trillion in bond and pension debt, unaffordable homes, among the highest prices in the nation for gasoline and electricity, water rationing, and they drive on congested and decaying...

TAGS: Edward Ring, Edward Ring, Gavin Newsom, homelessness, water rationing

Public Sector Unions – The Other Deep State

By Edward Ring
05/22/2019
When government fails, public-sector unions win. When society fragments, public-sector unions consolidate their power. When citizenship itself becomes less meaningful, and the benefits of American citizenship wither, government unions offer an exclusive solidarity. Government unions insulate their members from the challenges facing ordinary private citizens. On every major issue of our time; globalization, immigration, climate...

TAGS: California, Edward Ring, pensions, public unions

Estimated Impact of Janus on California’s Public Sector Unions So Far: $50M/year

By Edward Ring
04/24/2019
On June 27, 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in the case Janus vs AFSCME. An immediate consequence of this ruling was that public sector unions could no longer collect so-called “agency fees” from workers in their bargaining units who had opted out of full union membership. The other main consequence of the Janus ruling was that those...

TAGS: agency fee, collective bargaining, Edward Ring, Janus v. AFSCME, public sector unions