Everything old is new again, at least when it comes to punching loopholes in state tax laws to benefit corporate interests. As noted in a recent column, legislation is moving to re-establish “redevelopment” in California cities, albeit with a new name, just a few years after the program was eliminated. It’s...
Walters: Old Tax Loopholes Live Again
Everything old is new again, at least when it comes to punching loopholes in state tax laws to benefit corporate interests. As noted in a recent column, legislation is moving to re-establish “redevelopment” in California cities, albeit with a new name, just a few years after the program was eliminated. It’s...
Walters: A Resurrection for Redevelopment?
Voters and elected officials adopt policies on assurances of beneficial impacts, but they often interact with other decrees to produce what are called “unintended consequences.” Redevelopment has been a classic example for nearly seven decades, and it may be on the verge of another twist. Redevelopment, authorized in the early...
Walters: Ethic Studies Time Bomb Explodes
State legislators and then-Gov. Jerry Brown should have known that they were lighting the fuse of a political time bomb three years ago when they ordered up a “model curriculum in ethnic studies” for high school students. The bomb is now exploding. The state Department of Education has released a 303-page...
Walters: Ethic Studies Time Bomb Explodes
State legislators and then-Gov. Jerry Brown should have known that they were lighting the fuse of a political time bomb three years ago when they ordered up a “model curriculum in ethnic studies” for high school students. The bomb is now exploding. The state Department of Education has released a 303-page...
Is Ethnic Studies Plan Too Politically Correct Even for California?
As Americans grapple with shifts in culture and demographics, majority-minority California is developing a high school curriculum in ethnic studies, one of the first nationally. Not long ago — while managing his extracurriculars and winnowing his college choices — Eli Safaie-Kia, 17, found time to discover a draft of it. Its contents were, in some...
In Blue California, Why Are so Many Leftist Plans Going Under?
An unprecedented haul of tax dollars generated by a roaring economy. A governor who campaigned on a big-ticket policy agenda of long-time lefty favorites, including universal childcare and state-funded healthcare for all. A Legislature so thoroughly packed with Democrats it gives rise to a new term — "giga-majority.” Californians could be forgiven...
California Renews Bid to Get Presidential Candidates’ Taxes
SACRAMENTO — The California Legislature is trying again to force presidential candidates to publicly disclose their tax returns, hoping a new Democratic governor known for his clashes with President Donald Trump won't block them this time. The state Senate voted 27-10 on Thursday to require anyone appearing on the state's...
Snow Survey Finds California Water Nearly Doubled
PHILLIPS STATION — California water officials say cities and farms can expect ample water supplies this summer after winter storms blanketed the Sierra Nevada, nearly doubling the snowpack average for this time of year. The Department of Water Resources said Thursday the fifth and final survey at Phillips Station recorded...
Newsom Aims to Boost Security Grants After Poway Attack
SACRAMENTO — California's Democratic governor vowed on Monday to spend $15 million for increased security at "soft targets" like the synagogue where a gunman opened fire over the weekend, killing one worshipper. Gov. Gavin Newsom said he will include the money in his $144 billion general fund budget proposal, which he intends...