California drivers know the sting of filling up at the pump, where prices often hover $1.50 to $2 above the national average—$4.65 per gallon versus $3.15 nationally as of April 2025. While crude oil and refining costs play a role, the real culprit behind these sky-high prices is a web of state taxes, fees, and regulations that inflate costs far beyond what’s necessary. Add to that the elevated operational costs for gas stations in California’s pricey real estate and regulatory environment, and it’s clear why motorists are squeezed. Worse, the state’s aggressive climate policies, like cap-and-trade and low carbon fuel standards, promise global environmental gains but deliver negligible impact, raising questions about their prudence.

Let’s break down the numbers. According to the California Energy Commission, taxes and fees account for roughly $1.35 per gallon of gasoline in 2024. The state excise tax, the highest in the nation, stands at 59.6 cents per gallon, up from 27.8 cents in 2017, with annual increases tied to inflation. The federal excise tax adds 18.4 cents, unchanged since 1993. State and local sales taxes, averaging 2.25% but varying by region,… Read More

California is the nation’s epicenter for the homeless problem. But ask yourself this question: IF todayyoufound yourself without both shelter and the funds to rent a place, what state would you most prefer to be in to “live under a bridge”? More specifically, what CITY would you rather be in?

Answer: California — and specifically San Diego, my town. Best homeless weather in the nation.

Solutions to this growing problem are not easy, as California politicians (and their voters) vigorously support an intentional policy to keep CA housing high priced and scarce — high priced BECAUSE it is scarce, and expensive to build. So, what CAN be done to help these unfortunate people?

Let’s start by recognizing that there are two broad, sometimes overlapping categories of homeless people:

1. The “helpless” — the mentally ill, the druggies, the drunks, and the bums (these are usually overlapping categories) — those who have pretty much given up on — or are incapable of — improving themselves. In their present condition, they are largely… Read More

The economic illiteracy of Americans — including most who have taken one or more college Economics classes — can be breathtaking. But instead of always complaining about this malady, I decided that with this article, I’d here offer a one-lesson business accounting course that SHOULD be taught in high school (if not at home).

Herewith, a cram course on the fundamental math of a retail business — specifically a fast-food establishment. And why almostallsuch culinary establishments will be cutting back their hours of operation — making that late-night fast-food eatery largely a thing of the past.

Every business has two kinds of costs:

1. Fixed Costs— These are costs that don’t change much from month to month. At the top of the list of fixed costs is usually property costs — mortgage (or rent), taxes, insurance. Add to that franchise fees, accounting cost, some insurance costs, etc.

2. Variable Costs— These costs primarily consist of the cost of goods sold, utilities, franchise percentage payments and… Read More

In 1993, California’s Republican Governor Pete Wilson joined with the Democrat-controlled State Assembly and State Senate to form the California Constitution Revision Commission (CCRC). The stated goal was to modernize and improve our bulky California Constitution. The REAL goal (at least the PRIMARY goal) was to gut Prop 13, making it easier for our state and local governments to raise taxes.

Our centrist governor and the two state legislatures each picked 1/3 of the commission appointees. As a result, the initial commission was overwhelmingly Democrat, with a handful of mostly moderate Republicans included as window dressing. Uh oh.

Since 1970, Democrats have controlled both CA state legislatures. With one exception. In 1994 with the Republican Party’s push for theirContract with America, the State Assembly enjoyed a brief two-year GOP majority.

The new Republican Assembly Speaker Kurt Pringle — recognizing the “kangaroo court” nature of the Commission — decided to change the… Read More

It’s an educational (and scary) exercise to consider what our property taxes would be if Prop 13 had NOT passed in 1978 — and no subsequent reforms in property taxes occurred (a fair assumption, given Democrat dominance of the state legislature since 1970).

Most people have forgotten the following aspect: “In 1977, the average property tax rate in California was 2.67 percent.Proposition 13 fixed the rate at 1 percent of the purchase price[plus a 2% annual increase, or the COL, if less]. On top of the 1% is whatever additional rate is approved to cover voter-approved indebtedness, such as bonds. Although the additional rate varies around the state, it generally runs at about two-tenths of 1 percent, setting the overall Proposition 13 rate at 1.2 percent.” http://www.caltax.org/WhatProposition13Did.pdf— page 1

Looking at my own property tax bill, my annual “1%” tax on our 1993 purchase is $5,300 in 2022. The other taxes for bonds, special districts, etc, (a total… Read More

Most Californians think that — unlike 40+ other states — CA state law all but forbids its citizens from legally packing heat in public. That’s not true, but the local issuing authorities (generally the county sheriffs) have wide discretion. The CA state law says that for a CA citizen to receive a CCW (concealed carry) permit, the applicant must show that“Good cause exists for you to be authorized to carry a concealed weapon.” The definition of “good cause” is entirely up to the local sheriffs. The results are pretty much what you’d expect in woke California. The RURAL CA sheriffs often issue CCW’s for “self defense,” with little or no additional reason required. It’s often relatively easy to legally carry a concealed firearm in these counties. But in the urban and suburban areas of the state where the overwhelming majority of the people live, our progressive politicians and sheriffs have severely restricted the ability to get a CCW. Here’s a map that pretty much sums of the CCW policy of each … Read More

The press and our Democrat politicians are making a big deal about how expensive this recall election was. Estimates are that it cost state and local governments over $300 million. And that IS a lot of taxpayer money. But as I like to put it, the unofficial progressive slogan is “Don’t Look Back.” Not being a progressive, I’ll ignore that admonition. Here’s my (edited) response to a liberal critic of mine — after he cited the expensive cost of the failed Newsom recall election: It’s WONDERFUL to read that you’ve suddenly become concerned about the cost of government. Seldom do we get that complaint from a progressive. Upon reflection, perhaps you shouldn’t have brought it up. The total state and local taxpayercosts for the 2003 Gray Davis recall election ranged from $53 million to $66 million. Why did this 2021 Gavin Newsom $300+ million recall election cost taxpayers five times more than the Gray Davis recall only 18 years ago? … Read More

First the good news. After 4 September, we are FINALLY ending the federal “stimulus/unemployment” payments. It’s time to get people returning to the job market. But, sadly, I don’t think that — as a result — everyone will be returning to work. This is ironic — as Labor Day is coming up this weekend. Many “unemployed” may already be working — but not on the books. They are getting comfortable in the subsidized underground economy. Working in the cash economy (or not working at all) will remain popular as long as all the OTHER benefit programs pass out free goodies. People today know much more about how to get (and STAY) on the dole than they knew in pre-COVID days. And few states are more anti-employment than California. At this stage, CA will still pay the STATE unemployment benefits —up to $450 a week— $23,400 annually. No social security and other payroll deductions. No state income tax. Apparently the recipient does not even need to pretend that they are seeking work. In addition, … Read More