Editor’s Note:  As Jon Coupal explains in detail, Prop. 13’s “coattails” are alive and well in California. In a special election a few weeks ago in Southern California, Susan Shelley, a moderate Republican whose sole message was “protect Prop. 13” has lost by a margin of less than 1%, in a district where Democrats outnumber...

Editor’s Note:  California state ballot initiatives that begin collecting signatures before 12-31-2013 MIGHT be exempt from AB 857, which, if signed by Gov. Brown, will take effect January 1st. But it takes about 60 days to get ballot initiatives approved for circulation. That window is closing, and with it, the hope for anyone who isn’t...

Without a single public hearing, the California Assembly passed Assembly Constitutional Amendment No. 8 (ACA 8), the most egregious attack on Prop. 13 ever to come out of the Legislature. ACA 8 would repeal Prop. 13’s requirement that local “special taxes” (taxes intended for a specific purpose or purposes) be approved by a two-thirds vote....

There is no doubt that Americans owe a great deal to ancient Greek civilization that once dominated the Eastern Mediterranean, including the island of Cyprus.  It is to them and their experiment with democracy that we can trace the roots of our own democratic institutions. Of course, a lot can change in 2,500 years and,...

California government employee unions spent nearly $100 million in the lead up to the November election to convince voters to approve new taxes and reject a measure that would have barred unions and corporations form using legal bribery — campaign contributions — to influence state lawmakers. Now, two of these unions — one representing firefighters...

California’s Proposition 32 is the country’s most high-profile election in November 2012 directly related to labor unions and labor policy issues. There are also several California local elections – particularly Measure V to enact a charter in the City of Costa Mesa – that will potentially strengthen or weaken union control of government. Here’s a summary of...

Promoters of Proposition 30 are losing their cool. Until last week, backers of Jerry Brown’s $50 billion tax increase were content to use their $40 million campaign war chest to broadcast ads describing Proposition 30 as a panacea for California education. However, when the campaign behind a rival tax increase measure, Proposition 38, began airing...