Californians Get Stingier at the Ballot Box as Costs Rise
The New York Times – Californians say they can’t afford housing. They find gas prices too high. And when they were asked at the polls this month to pay higher taxes, fewer voters than usual were willing to do so in the liberal state.
America’s Economic Anxiety Is Rising Up the Income Ladder
The Wall Street Journal – America’s economic anxiety is rising up the income ladder. A new Wall Street Journal poll finds that even those who consider themselves among the wealthiest classes in America carry high levels of concern about their current finances, the years ahead and the prospects for their children.
California billionaire tax qualifies for November ballot
San Francisco Chronicle – A wildly controversial measure to tax California’s billionaires has qualified for the November ballot, Secretary of State Shirley Weber said in a memo to California election officials Wednesday evening, ensuring a brutal and expensive campaign that will take place as voters also decide which party will control Congress and the governorship.
Southern California inflation hits 5-month high as gas prices jump 27%
Orange County Register – Balancing a household budget became trickier this spring as rising gasoline prices boosted Southern California inflation to its 2026 high. My trusty spreadsheet reviewed May’s Consumer Price Index report, averaging results for local regions – Los Angeles and Orange counties, the Inland Empire and San Diego – and comparing local cost-of-living […]
Medi-Cal cuts, tax increases loom as Capitol lawmakers dicker over the budget
CalMatters – The primary election has come and gone. Votes are still being counted and the eventual results in close contests might not be known for weeks. However, it’s back to work for those already in office, including Gov. Gavin Newsom, and the biggest issue on their agenda is writing a budget for the 2026-27 fiscal […]
Boston Seizes on California Billionaire Tax to Lure AI Jobs
Bloomberg – The talent at some of America’s hottest artificial intelligence companies often passes through Boston-area universities before heading west to build billion-dollar businesses in Silicon Valley. Massachusetts business and political leaders say California’s proposed tax on billionaires is an opportunity to change that.
Medi-Cal and One Big Beautiful Bill: Federal Medicaid Reforms and the Fiscal Premise of California’s Billionaire Tax Act
Hoover Institution – Proponents of the 2026 California Billionaire Tax Act argue that the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) of 2025 created a “$19 billion per year budget hole” in California’s “already underfunded health care safety net,” justifying a one-time five percent wealth tax on California billionaires. We examine the OBBBA’s actual fiscal effect […]
Jack up taxes on California’s rich? Popular liberal mantra, but bad idea
Los Angeles Times – The Democrats’ mantra this election year — especially among wannabe governors — is that the richest Californians should “pay their fair share.” But by any objective measurement, they already do.
Another sales tax hike? Rising costs a concern for L.A. voters in healthcare measure
Los Angeles Times – It’s been years since Los Angeles County voters met a sales tax they didn’t like. They agreed to pay half a cent more at the cash register to fund buses, trains and pothole fillings in 2016. The next year, they gave a quarter-cent more to fund homeless services. In 2024, voters […]
Could Californians save at the pump? Congress debates gas tax pause
ABC10 – Gas prices remained elevated Monday as uncertainty continues over the war in Iran and a ceasefire President Donald Trump described as “on life support.” According to AAA, the national average price for a gallon of regular gas stood at $4.50 Monday afternoon. In California, the statewide average was about $6.20 per gallon of […]