This tax would rain a wealth of unintended consequences
The Washington Post – If in November’s referendum Californians unwisely enact a wealth tax, they will illustrate two axioms: Wisdom is the anticipation of consequences. And we are punished not for our sins but by them.
Newsom warns Dems: Brace for cuts
Politico – Gavin Newsom delivered a clear message to Assembly Democrats in a closed-door caucus meeting this week: More budget cuts are coming.
Tax & Fee Report
California Tax Foundation – During the first 16 months of the 2025-26 legislative session, California’s state lawmakers considered increasing annual taxes and fees by more than $216 billion.
How California bungled $1 million in a collaboration with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library
CalMatters – A nonprofit organization created by the California State Library to improve childhood literacy has spent more than $1 million in taxpayer money but has yet to put a single book in the hands of a child.
California Democrats are clamoring to tax the rich. Why their proposals could backfire
CalMatters – Progressive California Democrats, who have long fought and failed to raise taxes on the rich, are renewing their push this year in light of a specific threat: The seismic federal cuts to Medi-Cal, the state’s health care program for the poor.
BLOG: The cost of California’s mismanagement machine
The Business Journal – A new City Journal report claims California has lost at least $180 billion to fraud on Governor Newsom’s watch. Newsom calls the report “made up.” Respected Sacramento journalist Dan Walters offers a more measured take — some of it is fraud, some is sloppy management and some is political mud-slinging aimed […]
As tax deadlines loom, Californians should note how little they get for paying high taxes
CalMatters – Watt Avenue is one of several Sacramento County streets named for famous inventors, in this case James Watt, father of the steam engine. Watt Avenue is also one of the county’s busiest and most important arterials, with nearly 100,000 vehicles a day crossing its bridge over the American River.
California billionaire tax is a no-brainer for progressive Democrats, right? Wrong.
CalMatters – A union-backed proposal to tax California’s billionaires to fund health care has put some progressive lawmakers — and their labor allies — in a quandary.
Editorial: Another state program awash in waste, abuse
Orange County Register – California continues to face a structural deficit that the Newsom administration continues to paper over with “a variety of on- and off-book loans, accounting gimmicks and raids on emergency reserves,” as CalMatters columnist Dan Walters detailed. Although the governor points to a modest $3 billion deficit as we approach the May […]
California Can’t Afford the Reckless Gamble of a Billionaire Tax
Bloomberg Tax – The allure of a simple tax on the ultra-rich is undeniable. California, a state of immense prosperity, simultaneously struggles with some of the highest rates of wealth inequality in the nation.