A very quick note of apologies to FR readers. I have been super sick all week, and it continues. I’m sure I will recover soon. But it’s made it virtually impossible to write this week. I wish I could tell you my absence was due to a cool vacation somewhere, but it’s not. I’ve been pretty active over on Twitter, so you check that out here.… Read More

In a victory for the integrity of the ballot process, the Court of Appeal for the Third Appellate District issued an order to the Secretary of State, Deborah Bowen, to reverse her action giving Governor Brown’s tax hike initiative preference in the ballot materials or to submit a brief justifying her actions by July 30th. Pursuant to AB 1499, Bowen gave Brown’s initiative the highest available number (Prop 30) on the November ballot.

Assembly Bill 1499 seeks to repeal long-standing statutory law regarding how ballot measures appear on the ballot.

I am very pleased with this action by the Appellate Court. First, Petitions for Writs are rarely granted by the Courts. The fact that… Read More

The Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association today filed a legal action directly in the Court of Appeal seeking to invalidate a so-called “trailer bill” which would give Governor Brown’s massive tax hike initiative priority in the official ballot pamphlet.

At issue is Assembly Bill 1499 which would repeal long-standing statutory law regarding how ballot measures appear on the ballot. Governor Brown and his tax-and-spend allies in the Legislature have, once again, perverted the integrity of California’s election system law by giving his tax increase ballot preference. Under the scheme, Brown’s tax measure would appear first even though under current law it would appear later in the ballot. It is thought by many election experts that a higher priority gives ballot measures an edge over other items appearing on the ballot.

Given the unpopular reception of tax hikes by California voters in recent years – the last eight have been rejected – it really doesn’t matter where his ballot measure appears. We think it fails. But the real issue is the abuse of the ‘trailer bill’ process where the majority party bypasses Constitutional requirements related… Read More

From today’s Wall Street Journal Political Diary E-mail…

California’s Railroad Job by Allysia Finley

Republicans once speculated that California Rep. Jim Costa traded his ObamaCare vote—he was one of the last Blue Dog holdouts—for increased federal water allocations to his Central Valley district, which spans from Fresno to Bakersfield. But he may have driven a much harder bargain, which will end up costing state taxpayers billions.

California’s state legislature on Friday green-lighted funding for its $68 billion (or more) bullet train, which in 30 years may connect San Francisco and Anaheim. Since the state has only enough cash in hand to build about 100 miles of track, the train will more likely dead end in Bakersfield, about 130 miles south of Fresno, where the first segment is supposed to begin. Coincidence?

Two weeks before the 2010 midterm elections, the White House announced that it would award California $700 million in high-speed rail funds (in addition to the $2.6 billion of stimulus money Congress had already… Read More

Stephanopoulos: But you reject that it’s a tax increase?

Obama: I absolutely reject that notion…….

Stephanopoulos:……That may be true, but it’s still a tax increase.

Obama: No, that’s not true, George.

-Excerpts from an exchange between President Obama and George Stephanopouls in 2009. For the entire clip of the exchange, click HERE.

Obamacare: I am old enough to remember Harry Truman. No, not President Harry Truman. I am not quite that old! I mean the stubborn individualist who lived in Washington State at the base of Mount St. Helens when that volcano erupted in 1980. That Harry Truman refused repeated attempts by government authorities to evacuate him from the base of the mountain he loved. He was never seen again after the eruption and is presumed to have been buried in a deep lava flow. So, what does… Read More

This just in from Assemblywoman Diane Harkey, who has been a leading critic of the current proposals to fund High Speed Rail in California with billions of dollars in public spending…

THE VOTERS GET IT By Assemblywoman Diane Harkey

A recent Field Poll found that voters are connecting the dots from debt to taxes much quicker than their elected officials. Governor Brown and many Sacramento Democrats seem unable to set priorities even though the state is bankrupt, boasts the lowest credit rating in the nation, must borrow $10 billion for short-term cash flow needs, while cutting public safety dollars and practicing “catch and release” for state prisoners. We rank near the bottom of the 50 states in public education achievement and the Sacramento solution is to realign that function and implement trigger cuts IF voters don’t agree to raise taxes in November. But, billions in debt funding for one hundred miles of track with no train, no ridership and no cost analysis is still on the table.

Thursday, on a party line vote the Assembly Democrats in the… Read More

New study shows finances likely to be worse than planned and poll shows voters not happy with high speed rail spending

As more bad news mounts for California’s high speed rail plan, Senator Doug LaMalfa (R- Richvale) continues to push for a re-vote on the project. A new report from California Common Sense found that with expected cost overruns, the revised and smaller project would likely cost over $99 billion. The report also found that California would need to make annual payments of $6.5 billion for the project if the state shoulders the burden alone. That is more than the state currently spends on the California State University, the University of California and state-sponsored childcare combined. The federal transportation bill passed last week prohibits future federal funding for the project, virtually assuring that California alone will carry the costs.

“Costs for high speed rail will continue to rise even as public support plummets,” said Senator LaMalfa. “California doesn’t have the money for this project. We are cutting the school year, releasing violent felons early, and the… Read More

Over the next couple of days, while vast numbers of horrible pieces of legislation wind themselves further through the legislative maze, three higher profile issues will get most of the media attention. A vote to authorize billions in funding for High Speed Rail is expected, action to move the $11 billion water bond currently slated to go before voters this November, and the lack of any pension reform proposals from the legislature (despite assurances otherwise) before everyone blasts out of town on Friday for a month-long Summer vacation.

HIGH SPEED RAIL BOONDOGGLE When voters gave the green… Read More