In late February, a nonpartisan report from the California Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO) claimed that an account used to fund 95 percent of California’s Department of Motor Vehicles’ expenses will soon become insolvent. LAO predicts that the $3.9 billion Motor Vehicle Account will collapse in a few years, which will affect funds for the California […]

The gas prices are on the rise again and they have even topped $4 a gallon in Southern California for the first time since 2015. Some of the causes of the increase in gas prices have been refinery problems, the switch to summer blend of gas, and the several taxes on gas. However, one thing […]

Last month, an online financial website called WalletHub released a study that looked at which of the 50 states gave taxpayers the biggest return on their investment (ROI). In the study, taxpayer dollars are seen as an investment into the state and it turns out that California is nowhere near the top of the list. […]

A decision was finally made in the case of Mallano vs. Chiang, which was first filed in 2014 and deals with how Governor Jerry Brown’s administration calculated judicial raises after the recession. According to the case, the state of California owes about $40 million in back wages to judges. All six of California Supreme Court’s […]

As lawmakers scramble to pass hundreds of bills in the final days of this legislative session, one proposal would actually make a big difference to average Californians — Senate Bill 845.  The measure would improve water quality in rural and urban communities in every county in the state. Whereas most bills force taxes on people, this measure would create a system […]

On Monday, a ballot measure to repeal California’s recently enacted gas taxes and registration fees officially qualified for the November ballot. Gov. Jerry Brown said the following in a statement shortly after the Secretary of State’s Office announced the measure had qualified for the ballot, I will do everything in my power to defeat any […]

Last month, Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas called for an evaluation of whether the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) is capable of managing the large influx of funds generated by Measure H. This comes after a county auditor’s critical review of the agency’s management. The fiscal review was conducted by the county’s auditor-controller […]

According to Rob Nikolewski of the San Diego Union-Tribune, after taking into account state gas taxes, blending requirements aimed at reducing air pollution and other environmental and climate fees attached to each gallon of fuel, it seems that drivers in California pay a lot more than they should be paying. The sad reality is that […]

As Californians have been debating about repealing the Gas Tax, many have overlooked another state program that has been quietly increasing fuel prices. The Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) was signed in 2007 and is designed to fight climate change by forcing oil companies to lower the “carbon intensity” of the fuels they sell in […]

Last month, the Sacramento Bee reported that the state had paid out over $25 million in the last three fiscal years to settle sexual harassment-related cases and most of it came from taxpayer money. According to state law, a public entity is required to defend an employee in a civil case over actions taken within […]