[Source: UC Davis/Institute of Transportation Research] In 2017, several automakers and policymakers announced commitments to a transition to electric vehicles: Toyota set a goal to sell more than 1 million electric vehicles by 2030; Volvo aims to beat Toyota by doing the same by 2025; VW’s goal is 25% of its vehicle sales will be Read More…
Category: California News
Paint companies could hand taxpayers the bill for hazardous lead paint cleanup under proposed California ballot measure
[Source: Los Angeles Times] A proposed November statewide ballot measure could allow three of the nation’s biggest paint companies to hand California taxpayers a bill for the cost of cleaning up health hazards caused by lead paint. The measure would place a $2-billion bond on the November ballot to fund the remediation of lead paint, Read More…
What you need to know about California’s new minimum wage
[Source: LA Biz] One thing is always certain for California employers at the start of each year — a number of significant employment-related laws will go into effect. One such area is the continued increase in the state’s minimum wage. Although there are some exceptions, almost all employees in California must be paid the minimum Read More…
Pension costs are threatening public services all over California
[Source: Sacramento Bee] California is great at making pension promises, but a dismal failure at properly funding them. The most recent annual report released by the California Public Employees’ Retirement System shows that, as of June 2016, CalPERS was more than $138 billion in debt. The teachers’ retirement system (CalSTRS) is nearly as bad, with Read More…
Californians, economics and environmental protection
[Source: Capitol Weekly] Something that isn’t too surprising for legislators or Gov. Brown as California continues to be on the forefront of environmental policies: A major survey shows strong majority (62 percent) of Californians believe air pollution is a problem in their part of California. Two-thirds (66 percent) believe the effects of global warming have Read More…
Split roll proposal bad for jobs and the economy
[Source: Fox & Hounds] The California League of Women Voters and other advocates of a split-roll property tax system filed an initiative December 15 that would increase property taxes on California employers by an estimated $11.4 billion per year. A tax increase of this size will lead to higher consumer prices for goods and services Read More…
California Air Resources Board approves plan to meet California’s bold climate and air quality goals
[Source: California Air Resources Board] 2017 Scoping Plan details how state will slash climate-changing gases. Building on the state’s success in decarbonizing its economy, the California Air Resources Board today approved a bold plan to accelerate the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions over the coming decade while improving air quality and public health, investing in Read More…
California is taxed enough without Republican tax reform
[Source: Orange County Register] The House of Representatives has passed H.R. 1, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, by a vote of 227-205. Now it’s up to the Senate to pass its version, then both chambers will have to reconcile the differences in their plans. There are a few things California taxpayers can Read More…
Ports’ plan overlooks concerns on competition
[Source: Ronald Stein/Los Angeles Business Journal] Summary of the oped: Here we go again, the Clean Air Action Plan (CAAP) by the Ports is another go-it-alone crusade to lower emissions like the States’ AB32 from 2006 that produced miniscule results and cost the public billions of dollars. The CAAP has no meaningful analysis of competitiveness, Read More…