News

Endorsements of gubernatorial candidates by Sacramento’s establishment are ramping up. Below is an updated list of the major Sacramento political organizations engaged in “rent-seeking,” which means they seek to manipulate public policy to boost their wealth without creating new wealth, and the candidates they have endorsed…

The race for CA governor is in full swing as the rent-seeking unions and corporations that capture the lion’s share of $500 billion per year of state spending are starting to announce their endorsements. I’m keeping a spreadsheet. Here’s a screenshot of endorsements so far by some of Sacramento’s leading rent-seekers.

Yesterday my SFMuni bus ride took me past a protest led by SFUSD teachers striking for better pay. You cannot blame the teachers. You also can’t blame the students whose schools are closed or the taxpayers who have been providing record revenues to schools. All are victims of a deception that started 27 years ago.

Last week, I tuned into a webinar for parents anguished about the strike at the San Francisco Unified School District. Speaker after speaker expressed frustration: at the district, at the union, at the seemingly impossible math of paying teachers what they deserve while closing a $100 million budget deficit.

Last night I listened into a webinar for San Francisco parents anguished about the strike situation at SFUSD. No one mentioned the real reason SFUSD doesn’t pay its current teachers more.

San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan has announced that he is running for governor. As you know from our past writings about him, Matt is the rare elected official who solves problems, exactly what California needs now.

State lawmakers in the pockets of government unions have re-submitted AB 1383, which would boost pensions for safety employees without setting aside sufficient funds to meet those promises.

With all the headlines about billionaires fleeing California because of a proposed — and self-harming — wealth tax, our disastrous state budget has escaped the grim headlines it merits.

Last Friday Governor Newsom presented his proposed budget for the next fiscal year that starts July 1. As usual, the revenue forecast is not reliable since no one can successfully predict stock market performance, which determines CA’s marginal revenues.

After our note last week some readers asked about GFC’s “Johnny Appleseed” activities. By that we mean actions to help other political organizations to succeed…