Rider’s comments to Chargers Task Force

Richard Rider, Chairman, San Diego Tax FightersRichard Rider, Chairman, San Diego Tax Fighters 2 Comments

Given that the Chargers Task Force meeting clearly was going to be pretty much a Chargers pep rally, I saw little reason to attend and speak. But I DID submit in writing the following short email on crucial points I’m concerned about: TO THE CHARGERS TASK FORCE: I will not be attending tonight’s meeting, but I’d like to submit a …

FACT CHECK: Chargers pay $2.5 million rent a year? Nope. They usually pay zippo.

Richard Rider, Chairman, San Diego Tax FightersRichard Rider, Chairman, San Diego Tax Fighters Leave a Comment

The Chargers are disdainful of their Qualcomm stadium, paid for by the taxpayers.  The team’s annual rent isn’t much. They CLAIM they pay $2.5 million a year, but — as the Voice of San Diego points out in its fact check article — that is “misleading,” to put it charitably. Indeed, on a net outlay basis, the Chargers’ rent is …

Want “better” public employees? End public employment!

Richard Rider, Chairman, San Diego Tax FightersRichard Rider, Chairman, San Diego Tax Fighters 9 Comments

One thing that would help with public employees is to drastically reduce their number.  Do that by contracting out every possible government service. Yeah, police probably have to be public employees, but most of the other jobs can be outsourced to private companies.  And often are around the country. Many advantages: 1.  It can be done for less cost.  The …

More good California blue collar jobs leaving for Texas

Richard Rider, Chairman, San Diego Tax FightersRichard Rider, Chairman, San Diego Tax Fighters Leave a Comment

If only we could all work at those really cool HQ complexes of Apple and Google.  Sadly, we can’t. Meantime more good paying, minority-friendly jobs are abandoning California for a more business friendly state.  Here’s a recent example — not even considered news any more in California.The Democrat Party — champion of the “little people” — runs California.  Yeah, like …

San Diego muni golf courses lose over $2 million annually

Richard Rider, Chairman, San Diego Tax FightersRichard Rider, Chairman, San Diego Tax Fighters 3 Comments

How can you lose money running a golf course when the land is “free” and you pay zero property tax?  You’d think you’d charge enough to pay for the operational costs of such an endeavor. Not so, apparently — if you’re government. Indeed, the City of San Diego’s annual $2 million municipal golf course operating deficit is understated, as the …

City of San Diego fails to report most employee benefit costs — “too much trouble”?

Richard Rider, Chairman, San Diego Tax FightersRichard Rider, Chairman, San Diego Tax Fighters 2 Comments

“GIGO.”  Garbage in, garbage out. The city of San Diego lifeguards are probably the highest compensated in the state — but America’s Finest City has a policy of not reporting the full cost of benefits.  Or even MOST of the costs.  “Too much trouble,” apparently. Looking at the highest CA lifeguard compensation figures in the article below, it appears to …

Does CA need higher taxes because we don’t pay enough already? You decide.

Richard Rider, Chairman, San Diego Tax FightersRichard Rider, Chairman, San Diego Tax Fighters 2 Comments

Unstated in California Assemblywoman Toni Atkins’ proposed new annual $52 DMV driving “fee” for infrastructure is the bogus assumption that Californians pay too little taxes. False. Consider: * CA has by FAR the highest state income tax rate. * The highest state capital gains tax rate (2nd highest combined capital gains rate in the WORLD). * The highest state sales …

Unemployment rate in California still second worst in nation

Richard Rider, Chairman, San Diego Tax FightersRichard Rider, Chairman, San Diego Tax Fighters 1 Comment

Is California “back,” as the liberal press and our governor so proudly proclaim? No. Not hardly. In November, California was tied for the second highest/worst state unemployment rate.  In December, we’ve got second place all to ourselves at 7.0%. The national unemployment rate was 5.6%.  Only “Deliverance” Mississippi was worse. The national unemployment rate not including CA is 5.4%, making …

Chargers want to RAISE average ticket prices $100 a game

Richard Rider, Chairman, San Diego Tax FightersRichard Rider, Chairman, San Diego Tax Fighters Leave a Comment

Here’s an interesting exercise in NFL economics. Some “sports economist” referenced in this otherwise excellent U-T article (Gee, I wonder who funds his academic chair?) has projected that a new San Diego stadium will mean $50 million more annually for the Chargers. Put aside for the moment the biased nature of this “study.”  Suppose it’s true. RIDER QUESTIONS: Where does …

A surprising defense of Prop 13

Richard Rider, Chairman, San Diego Tax FightersRichard Rider, Chairman, San Diego Tax Fighters Leave a Comment

A Defense of Proposition 13 Property Tax Revenues by Richard Rider, Chairman, San Diego Tax Fighters  ***Updated 28 January, 2015*** www.RiderRants.BlogSpot.com When it comes to gathering sufficient property taxes, Prop 13 is no problem at all – except for profligate spenders. Look at the history of my San Diego County – a history which pretty much reflects the history of property taxes in the urban/suburban counties …

In a Fiscal Policy study, CA Gov. Brown ranks worst — next worst gov ranks 37% higher than Brown

Richard Rider, Chairman, San Diego Tax FightersRichard Rider, Chairman, San Diego Tax Fighters Leave a Comment

Well, at least it wasn’t close.  California Governor Jerry Brown has a LOCK on last place in a Cato study that just came out — comparing governors’ performance regarding “Fiscal Policy.”  The second worst governor (John Hickenlooper, D, Colorado) earned an abysmal score — but still scored 37% higher than anchor-clanker Brown. Thank Goodness Governor Brown is fiscally prudent — verified …

Is Comic-Con such a great deal for San Diego? Apparently not.

Richard Rider, Chairman, San Diego Tax FightersRichard Rider, Chairman, San Diego Tax Fighters 9 Comments

A key (and quite correct) court ruling now blocks the expansion of the San Diego Convention Center.  This deal involved a hotel tax that — contrary to the requirements of the state constitution — was imposed without a vote of the electorate. Now the “gadflies” who filed the lawsuit will be blamed for standing in the way of progress (been …

Anatomy of a bogus “Paltry Pay for CA Teachers” TV news story

Richard Rider, Chairman, San Diego Tax FightersRichard Rider, Chairman, San Diego Tax Fighters 6 Comments

The article below on the KNSD TV San Diego website recently was presumably presented as a major TV news story by our local NBC affiliate. It claims that CA teachers are woefully underpaid compared to educators in other states — the truth is that CA teachers are the second/third highest paid teachers of all the states. The story is based …

The little-noticed CRUSHING rejection of Coronado’s school bond measure — how and why

Richard Rider, Chairman, San Diego Tax FightersRichard Rider, Chairman, San Diego Tax Fighters 2 Comments

There was one taxpayer victory in the June 2014 primary that I SHOULD have reported, but didn’t.  A tiny, unfunded but determined pro-taxpayer group in Coronado CRUSHED a Ponzi-scheme school bond measure.  It’s perhaps a textbook example of how to defeat the Establishment and the special interests that back such measures.  Representing San Diego Tax Fighters, I provided some expertise …

Texas now receiving well over DOUBLE the per capita investment of California

Richard Rider, Chairman, San Diego Tax FightersRichard Rider, Chairman, San Diego Tax Fighters 2 Comments

Three years ago, California lost its #1 status as the state with the most new private business funding — Texas took over the top spot. Since then the disparity between the two states has grown dramatically.  In 2013, $87.4 billion was invested in Texas by private equity funds.  California businesses received $54 billion. This spread is more important when one …

California’s “cash for clunkers” program is FAR worse than disastrous, discredited federal version

Richard Rider, Chairman, San Diego Tax FightersRichard Rider, Chairman, San Diego Tax Fighters 2 Comments

When the feds ran their “cash-for-clunkers” program, the pathetic results, unintended consequences and attendant ridicule should have put an end to this madness.  I wrote a column on this federal folly in 2012.  Here’s the link — and I’ve included the column at the bottom of this post. The federal madness ended with the Obama administration lamely claiming “mission accomplished,” …

Bogus U-T headline: “Wage push [massive minimum wage hike] gets business backing”!

Richard Rider, Chairman, San Diego Tax FightersRichard Rider, Chairman, San Diego Tax Fighters 2 Comments

Here is an incredibly deceptive U-T story, topped only by the even more deceptive headline “WAGE PUSH GETS BUSINESS BACKING.” The story is about a handful of businesses that recently held a press conference advocating that the city of San Diego adopt a dramatically higher minimum wage ($13 is the one currently proposed by progressives for our city). http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2014/Jun/07/tp-wage-push-gets-business-backing/ Nowhere …

Pratt and Whitney quitting San Diego for other states — 530 high paying jobs lost

Richard Rider, Chairman, San Diego Tax FightersRichard Rider, Chairman, San Diego Tax Fighters 3 Comments

This week the San Diego media is focused on ONE story — the dozen or more brush fires that have popped up around the county, thanks to EXTREMELY dry conditions, high winds (Santa Ana) and likely arson. If this fire story were not happening, perhaps we’d all know more about ANOTHER tragedy that hit San Diego this week:  Defense contractor …

SD Tax Fighters June, 2014 CA State and San Diego Region Recommendations

Richard Rider, Chairman, San Diego Tax FightersRichard Rider, Chairman, San Diego Tax Fighters Leave a Comment

San Diego Tax Fighters June, 2014 California State and San Diego Region Recommendations San Diego Tax Fighters is primarily interested in fiscal issues.  Thus we have a natural tendency to pick Republicans over Democrats – especially since no third party candidates will be on the November ballot (thanks to the “top two” bogus reform). Some candidates we endorse by name …