Category Archive

Coastal City Councilman Cites DeMaio’s Commitment to Reforming Washington San Diego – The backing of longtime coastal San Diego City Councilman Kevin Faulconer is the latest in a tidal wave of momentum for Carl DeMaio’s bid for the 52nd district. Faulconer has served on the City Council with both Peters and DeMaio. Faulconer has represented San Diego’s beaches and bay …

Any other cities in California?… U-T San Diego Editorial Board In a move that may be unprecedented in California, Carlsbad and its largest employee union have agreed to a new contract that at the end of this year will do away with so-called step and longevity pay raises — increases awarded essentially for just showing up and lasting a long …

Yesterday the UT reported on new polling in the race for the 52nd Congressional district.  This SurveyUSA poll seems to back up the poll that the NRCC is touting on the strength of DeMaio’s candidacy against Peters. SurveyUSA’s poll has DeMaio up 9, while the NRCC’s internal numbers have DeMaio up 10. Below is the UT’s report.  California Briefing has …

A bizarre regulatory scheme apparently makes it easier for local brewers to open a full-blown restaurant than a small tasting room, reports the Voice of San Diego. How can it possibly be easier to open a full-service restaurant—complete with funding and planning for a kitchen, food menu, and requisite seating space—than a tiny tasting room with some beer taps and …

At the end of my typical talk on California and our public employee problems, I usually ask my audience, “What’s the ONE important lesson you should take away with you from my presentation?”   I get the usual responses — “No new taxes!” — “Throw the bums out!” — “Vote GOP!” — “Elect Rider as dictator for life!” (that last one doesn’t come …

Here’s an updated version of the superb 2008 REASON due diligence report on CA High-Speed Rail.  The key point to remember is that every flaw that REASON’s original report pointed out has since been validated — though usually UNDERestimated in magnitude.  This is the executive summary, with links to the full report for those who want to know more. http://reason.org/studies/show/california-high-speed-rail-report …

San Diego – A new poll conducted by Reform San Diego shows a super-majority of San Diegans are strongly opposed to a proposal being pushed by Mayor Bob Filner to allow ex-city councilmembers to return to work for the city on a full salary while drawing a full city pension. “From the beginning, we saw this proposal as “Double Dipping” …

Governor Brown ET AL loudly crow that “we’re back” — the California economy and government finances are back in shape. Then the doggone state auditors make their report! Bunch of naysayers — that’s what they are. Note the last paragraph of the SAC BEE article: “The list of long-term obligations did not include the much-disputed unfunded liabilities for state employees’ future pensions, nor …

Carl DeMaio will speak at a forum organized by the San Diego County Taxpayers Association Thursday, March 14. At the forum, DeMaio will raise concerns that the Prop B Pension Reform Initiative may not be fully implemented at City Hall. DeMaio will outline a number of “red flag” issues – including the continuation of “pension spiking” where city employees can …

Reason-TV will feature Carl DeMaio having a live discussion in front of a studio audience and web cast on the topic of “How California’s Public Pension System Broke: And What We Need To Do To Fix It” Moderated by Dr. Adrian Moore, Vice President, Policy. Live Location: Reason’s LA Headquarters, 5737 Mesmer Ave, Los Angeles, CA Webcast: reason.com/blog Please contact …

Here’s a recent disturbing WALL ST JOURNAL editorial on a new tax grab out of Minnesota.  It’s disturbing because — given the similar state ideology and political climate — I would expect that, if it’s found to be legal, then California, New York, Illinois and perhaps some other desperate high tax, union-controlled states might very well adopt similar strategies. The …

Here’s the fact that EVERYONE (including me) initially underappreciated concerning Phil Mickelson and CA state income taxes. Starting in 2013, Mickelson’s NET state income tax has jumped 83.6%!  And yes, this huge increase hits most Californian making more than $2 million income. Here’s why. Until 2013, state income taxes were deductible for federal income tax purposes. Starting in 2013, for …

Faulconer Statement on Pension Fund Investment Losses   Underscores importance of fully implementing voter approved pension reform measure that will save taxpayers nearly $1 billion SAN DIEGO — Councilmember Kevin L. Faulconer released the following statement today regarding the San Diego City Employees Retirement System (SDCERS) actuarial valuation for fiscal year 2012.  “San Diego voters overwhelmingly approved Proposition B to …

So I was thinkng that we should really give Drunken Sailors a break on spending and rework the phrase to read: “Spending like a Drunken Legislator”. What do you think?

Many people are sitting around unemployed (or often UNDERemployed) in California, waiting for the state’s economy to recover.  The state and federal governments’ response is to PAY people to stay unemployed — with unemployment benefits, food stamps and a host of other taxpayer subsidies.  And, sadly, too often this policy produces exactly what one would expect — persistent unemployment. In …

“To everything there is a season: a time to plant and a time to harvest; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance.” Now is a time to mourn. This is not the time to yell at one another in partisan bickering. The last thing the people in Newtown need …