03/29/2024

News

Will the California Supreme Court Reform the “California Rule?”

Most pension experts believe that without additional reform, pension payments are destined to put an unsustainable burden on California’s state and local governments. Even if pension fund investments meet their performance objectives over the next several years, California’s major pension funds have already announced that payments required from participating agencies are going to roughly double […]

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The Underrecognized, Undervalued, Underpaid, Unfunded Pension Liabilities

According to CalPERS own data, California’s cities that are part of the CalPERS system will make “normal” contributions this year totaling $1.3 billion. Their “unfunded” contributions will be 41% greater, $1.8 billion. As for counties that participate in CalPERS, this year their “normal” contributions will total $586 million, and their “unfunded” contributions will be 36% […]

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Who’s Really to Blame for OC’s Housing Affordability Crisis?

So who’s to blame? Homebuilders — in an industry that has fueled California’s economy for more than half a century — are as eager as ever to build the American Dream in the Golden State. But here’s the problem: lawmakers, regulators, local governments and anti-development activists — who already own their own home — won’t […]

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“Strategic Misrepresentation” to Get Voters’ Money

Unfortunately, cost overruns on government projects are hardly a new phenomenon. According to a CATO Institute paper, as far back as 1836, a congressional Ways and Means Committee examination found that 25 out of 25 federal projects suffered a cost overrun. The paper included other interesting items such as the construction of the Erie Canal […]

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Federal Tax Reform Means More Business Taxes for California

California’s corporate tax base may increase by up to 12 percent as a result of federal tax reform legislation, according to a study recently released by the State Tax Research Center. This means that revenues from California’s corporate income tax could increase by as much as $1.3 billion – without any action by state lawmakers […]

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