Tag: Loren Kaye
SB 1149 Would Upend Intellectual Property Rights, Expose California Companies to Piracy
California’s economic success can be credited to two often-related advantages: a skilled workforce and a culture of innovation.
Our workforce has been nurtured by the...
Regulatory Dithering
The California Legislature passes hundreds of new laws every year, many of which require executive branch interpretation and implementation. According to legislative process maven...
High Cost of Living Drives Voter Concerns
The cost of living weighs heavily on the minds of voters, and has become the principal lens through which they consider California public policy...
Unprecedented Budget Surplus Is Focus of May Revision
To nobody’s surprise, Governor Gavin Newsom on Friday announced another upward revision in the state’s general revenues—a $55 billion bump since January. To the...
We’ve Reached Peak Budget
The Legislative Analyst has cried “last call” for the state budget bash.
Even as the State Legislature enjoys the prospect of spending record budget surpluses, its...
Gas Prices and the Gann Limit
Nothing shouts “cost of living” quite as loudly as gasoline prices in Los Angeles averaging $6.01 a gallon. Inflation has reached a 40-year high...
Revenue Windfall Provides Opportunity for More UI Funding, Tax Credits for COVID Sick Leave...
California’s mighty work-from-home economic engine continues to create massive value for workers, employers and entrepreneurs—and not incidentally for the state treasury.
The nonpartisan Legislative Analyst...
Restraint Key in Handling New, Post-Pandemic Normal
The enduring lesson for policy makers as California recovers from the Pandemic Era should be restraint. California enjoys a bountiful budget surplus, but nobody...
Legislature Taking Up Governor’s Tax and Leave Proposals
The Legislature will take its first actions on Governor Newsom’s proposed 2022 budget and policy proposals next week, after negotiating a package deal to...
Governor Newsom has Proposed the Fourth State Budget of His Term, and It’s a...
The proposed budget tops out at more than a quarter-trillion dollars, larger than the entire economies of Vietnam, the Czech Republic or Portugal. The...
State Leaders Should Use Budget Surplus to Restore Tax Incentives, Repay UI Debt
Only 18 months ago, expecting a massive pandemic-induced collapse of economic activity, California finance officials predicted a staggering $54 billion state budget deficit. The...
The People’s Voice: Drought and Wildfire Dominate Climate Issues
Californians strongly agree about the importance of addressing climate change, but are not convinced that costly, disruptive policies are the right approach. The seventh...
The People’s Voice: Housing Affordability Frustrates Voters
Californians are deeply anxious about the cost of living and working in the Golden State. The seventh CalChamber poll, The People’s Voice, 2021, found...
The People’s Voice: Voters Prefer Better Rules for Telecommuting
The pandemic has changed how we live and work, certainly in the short term and probably longer. The seventh CalChamber poll, The People’s Voice,...
The People’s Voice: What Do Voters Want?
"There go the people. I must follow them, for I am their leader."
– Likely apocryphal quote attributed to French Revolutionary.
Voters and their representatives often...
The People’s Voice: Voters Anxious About Public Safety
Last week we reported about California voters’ deep concerns over an increasing cost of living and the fear of falling further behind. Eighty-five percent...
Voice of the People: Economic Security Top of Mind for Voters
Increasing cost of living and fear of falling further behind add up to California voters apprehensive about their future. The seventh annual CalChamber poll,...
Student Advocates Submit Education Initiative to Attorney General
Frustrated by years of deteriorating education quality in California public schools, a coalition of advocates for students submitted a ballot measure to the Attorney...
Is Direct Democracy Under Attack in California?
Sometimes it seems that nobody likes California’s direct democracy — except the voters.
Some legislators seem to resent it. During the last legislative session (and...
People’s Referendum Power Under Attack from Legislature
California voters are well acquainted with the initiative and recall, two of their three venerable political accountability powers. The former is a common feature...