Last night’s CA gubernatorial debate hosted by Jewish California reminded me of Li’l Abner, a comic strip I read as a kid in which the residents of a town lived in a state of perpetual war with tax agents whom they called “Revenooers.” This time around, the Revenooers are Tom Steyer and Eric Swalwell who, when asked how they would address California’s budget problems, said “more revenues.” Taking the opposite side were Steve Hllton, Matt Mahan and Antonio Villaraigosa, who in one form or another said the state should spend its existing tax resources more effectively.
One look at Schedule 6 of the Governor’s Budget shows that revenue is not the problem. General and Special Fund revenues more than doubled over the last decade, yet government services are worse. That’s because the money is going to rent-seekers, not residents, and it is the endorsements of rent-seekers that Steyer and Swalwell are seeking by proposing tax increases.
The fiscal facts are clear. What’s less clear are the political facts. The race is wide open. Even though Swalwell has widespread name recognition and Steyer has spent ~$400 million running for federal and state offices, neither has a commanding lead while Mahan, largely unknown except in his city of San Jose, just announced his campaign and is backed by a war-chest. I have endorsed Mahan but I’d be happy if, under CA’s Top Two Primary system, the General Election comes down to Hilton v Mahan or Villaraigosa. Just so long as a Revenooer doesn’t make the Top Two.
