According to POLITICO, California’s state insurance commissioner has maintained his primary residence in Los Angeles, while taxpayers have been stuck with thousands of dollars in bills to cover the cost of renting an apartment in Sacramento. Commissioner Ricardo Lara is already under scrutiny for his campaign fundraising and questionable association with the insurance industry. According […]

Here’s some interesting news from San Francisco, businesses in some districts are actually taxing themselves. It’s something that is not often heard of, landlords and businesses embracing the idea of paying more taxes. What exactly are these self imposed taxes paying for? They’re paying for more street cleaning, trash collection, power washing, and all around […]

Last week, Governor Newsom signed Senate Bill 200 (SB 200) to provide funds for improvements to local communities’ access to safe drinking water. SB 200 will provide $130 million a year to spend over the next decade to improve drinking water for about a million people. The source of the funding is coming primarily from […]

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. […]

California’s campaign watchdog agency, the Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC), is proposing to expand its powers so it can act when district attorneys fail to act. Members of the FPPC believe that local prosecutors have failed to file charges in dozens of cases where officials have allegedly used public funds for political purposes. The FPPC […]

There were five proposed bills introduced last month that are aimed at trying to curb the consumption of sugary drinks such as soda. Assembly Bills 138, 764, 765, 766 and Senate Bill 347 were introduced as a package to help reduce diabetes, obesity and other health conditions related to the consumption of sugary drinks. The […]

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 […]

Looks like legislators are trying to pass another questionable bill. Senate Bill 1138 will require prisons to offer inmates “plant-based meals” that are free of meat, dairy, fish, poultry or eggs. The bill’s author, Senator Nancy Skinner of Berkeley, states that her intent to require a vegan menu is because it “will provide an example […]