Why California Can't Stop People From Leaving

 

Voters Bribed by Democrats Before Election Day

If you can't win on the issues then simply pay off the Sheeple voters

(CBS News)  About 23 million California residents will soon receive "inflation relief" checks of up to $1,050 under a budget deal reached by Governor Gavin Newsom and state lawmakers on Sunday. 

The checks are part of a $17 billion relief package that will also suspend the state's sales tax on diesel fuel and provide additional aid to help people with rent and utility bills, Newsom and Senate President Pro Tempore Toni G. Atkins and Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon said in a statement. 

The agreement comes as California drivers face the highest gasoline prices in the U.S., with the average price for a gallon of gas in the state at $6.32 on Monday — or about 29% higher than the national average. 

Earlier this year, Newsom had proposed sending stimulus checks of $400 per vehicle to state residents, with a cap of two vehicles. But other lawmakers had pushed for a plan that would provide bigger checks to people who earn less.

More . . .

Somali Pirates vs California

California Becomes a Marxist Shithole

In other words, nothing is changing

Follow The Black Pigeon Speaks on the free speech video platform Bitchute.com

California Losing so Many People It Wants to Tax Those Who Leave

 

That Sinking Feeling

Must See Video

• Marxist Democrats Drive People Out of California

Subscribe to Styx on the free speech video platform Bitchute.com

San Francisco Rents Crash Most On Record Amid Mass Exodus

(Zerohedge)  -  A new report confirms what we've been talking about since the early days (read: here) of the virus pandemic, that is, an exodus out of major cities.

According to real estate analytics company Zumper, the exodus, out of San Francisco has been so great, that the median rent for a one-bedroom apartment collapsed more than 20% in September from a year ago to $2,830. Month over month, September rent for a one-bedroom apartment in the city fell by 7%. 

Referring to the plunge in rent prices in San Francisco, Zumper said:

"Not only is this drop among the largest yearly decreases Zumper has ever recorded in our history of tracking rental prices, but it was also the first time the median 1-bed price in San Francisco was priced below $3000. These combined trends show just how drastically the market has changed in the nation's most expensive city to rent." 

Zumper CEO Anthemos Georgiades, who was quoted by CNBC, said a flood of supply is hitting the market: 

"Some renters may be inclined to move to the suburbs to get more space, as the Covid-19 pandemic spurred companies to close offices and allow employees to work from home. Facebook and Google, for example, have told employees they can work remotely at least through next summer," Georgiades said. 

The virus-induced downturn, resulting in the collapse of small businesses citywide, the decimation of low-income households, and high-unemployment, is forcing many folks across the metro area to downsize or move to less expensive areas. He said wildfires and hazardous air conditions were some other reasons for "tipping the balance about their medium-term location choices." 

Social unrest and the rise of violent crime have made many folks uncomfortable about raising a family in the dangerous metro area. Many are moving to rural communities of the Bay Area, from Marin County to Napa wine country and south to Monterey's Carmel Valley. 

Georgiades said it could take years for San Francisco real estate to heal from its pandemic wounds

Read More at Zerohedge

A 54% Marxist Tax Rate Proposed By Democrats

The Marxist Confiscation of Wealth

(CNBC)  -  A proposal to raise taxes on California millionaires would result in a top tax rate of nearly 54% for federal and state taxes.

Democrats in the California state legislature this week proposed a tax hike on the state’s highest earners to help pay for schools and services hurt by the coronavirus pandemic. Legislators say the tax hike would raise more than $6 billion a year, and would redirect funding from the wealthy to those who have been hit hardest by the Covid-19 crisis.

The plan follows proposals in New York state to raise taxes on the wealthy to pay for a widening budget deficit. And it adds to a growing debate over expanding inequality during the pandemic and who should pay the soaring costs to government.

Yet the California proposal would raise the highest state tax rate in the country even higher, and renew the possibility of wealthy Californians fleeing the state.

California’s top marginal tax rate is 13.3%. The new proposal would add three new surcharges on seven-figure earners. It would add a 1% surcharge to gross income of more than $1 million, 3% on income over $2 million and 3.5% on income above $5 million.

So the top tax rate would be 16.8%, on income of more than $5 million and the combined state and federal tax rate for California’s top earners would soar to 53.8%. With the deduction on state and local taxes capped at $10,000 under the Trump tax cuts, the top-earning Californians wouldn’t be able to deduct the new taxes from their federal returns.

CNBC.com

Joe Rogan moving from California to Texas for 'more freedom'

Joe Rogan is moving to Texas in search of "a little bit more freedom."

Rogan announced the news of his relocation from Los Angeles to Texas Friday on his podcast The Joe Rogan Experience.

The move likely comes as little surprise to Rogan's fans, given that the popular comedian and commentator has previously hinted at relocating to the Lone Star State, according to The Hill.

Rogan cited overpopulation, traffic, economic despair and his need for "a little bit more freedom" among the reasons for his decision.

The 52-year-old, who also is a UFC commentator, reportedly stands to save millions of dollars in taxes due to the move.

Rogan signed a deal in May with Spotify for more than $100 million to air his podcast exclusively on the streaming service beginning this September, according to The Wall Street Journal.

While the deal would be subject to a 13.3 percent income tax rate in California, Texas forgoes individual income taxes, resulting in $87 million in tax breaks, Newsweek reported.

Rogan retains ownership and editorial control of The Joe Rogan Experience, which reportedly brought in $30 million in revenue in 2019 on YouTube, according to Newsweek.

Rogan has not revealed where he will be based in Texas.

Read More . . .

Leaving California

People are leaving the state of California in droves and it could leave a lasting mark on the world’s 5th largest economy.

California may be reaching the point of ‘taxuration’

By JON COUPAL

The phenomenon of “taxuration” occurs when taxpayers are so saturated with new tax-hike proposals that they start to rebel.  According to a new poll, taxuration may have finally arrived in California, if hasn’t been here already.

Last week, the Public Policy Institute of California released the findings of a survey showing that a majority of likely voters in the state aren’t very happy with the tax burdens they are forced to pay. Most Californians say the state’s tax system is unfair, which is a reversal from the same question asked in March 2017. More importantly, a solid majority of likely voters in California think they pay more taxes to state and local governments than they should.

While perception is often not correlated with reality, it appears that Californians have a fairly realistic understanding of the tax burden in the state relative to other states.  According to the report, “The public’s perceptions are somewhat in line with fiscal facts: California’s state and local tax collections per capita in 2015 were 10th-highest in the nation,” citing the left leaning Tax Policy Center.  Note that another think tank, the Tax Foundation, ranks California even higher in tax burden.

It shouldn’t be surprising to anyone paying attention that citizens are reaching the breaking point on tax hikes. Every day seems to bring a new big tax-hike proposal emanating from the state Capitol.  Just one example that popped up this week was a proposal to bring back California’s estate tax, which was repealed by voters in 1982. Other tax-hike proposals in the mix include higher income tax rates, a water tax, a soda tax, sales tax on services and a so-called “carbon intensity” tax.  (Don’t ask.)

Moreover, when the California Legislature doesn’t want to do the dirty work of raising taxes directly, it is adept at enacting statutes authorizing local governments to raise taxes. The legislature has engaged in this practice for decades since the passage of Proposition 13, starting with the infamous Mello-Roos taxes on new developments.  The most recent – and dangerous – example of this is Assembly Constitutional Amendment No. 1 – which would lower the vote needed to pass a range of bonds and special taxes, including parcel taxes, from two-thirds down to just 55 percent. If approved by voters (constitutional amendments must be approved by a simple majority of the statewide electorate) ACA 1 will leave the door open to billions in new local taxes and bond debt.

And let’s not forget the tax hikes put on the ballot by progressives who never met a tax they didn’t like.  Chief among these is the notorious “split roll” proposal, which has already qualified for the 2020 ballot. It would strip Proposition 13’s protection against higher property taxes from owners of business properties.

The tax-and-spend lobby will argue that Californians actually like higher taxes as evidenced by the failure to repeal the big increases in the gas and car tax passed in 2017.  But the failure of Proposition 6 last November was the result of a deceptive ballot label courtesy of our Attorney General, who doesn’t hesitate to put his thumb on the scales of justice to benefit his political backers.

The reality is that Californians have likely had enough.  Even PPIC president Mark Baldassare interpreted the poll results as troubled water for the tax raisers, noting, “The trends say to me that the governor and Legislature should proceed with caution when it comes to raising revenues or restructuring taxes in light of the perceived tax burden.”

That may be the understatement of the year.

Jon Coupal is president of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association

OCRegister.com

California Agencies "hoarding vast sums of money"

"More Taxes Please"

• Every other word out of a Democrat is he needs more tax money - - - - Meanwhile government agencies are hoarding tens of billions of dollars.

(Orange County Register)  -  California’s most affluent special districts nearly doubled their spending over the course of a decade, while the value of their cash and investments nearly tripled, according to a Southern California News Group analysis of state data.

The figures revive the question many good-government advocates have been asking for decades: Do special districts, which operate largely under the public radar, simply have too much money?

Critics say they do, and argue that their functions should be absorbed into cities and counties that overlap their boundaries.

Special districts say they don’t, insisting they simply safeguard vital infrastructure and are better left alone.

California’s 250 largest special districts had cash and investments worth $47.1 billion when the 2017 fiscal year drew to a close, up dramatically from $17.9 billion a decade earlier, according to data from the State Controller’s Office. That’s a leap of almost $30 billion, or 164 percent.

Total spending, meanwhile, jumped nearly 100 percent — from $27.4 billion to $53.5 billion.

“From the perspective of California taxpayers, special districts are neither inherently good nor inherently bad,” said Jon Coupal, CEO of the conservative Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, in testimony to the Little Hoover Commission in 2016.

“However, few can deny that many government entities have abused the public trust by hoarding vast sums of money.”

Special districts insist he is wrong. They are the guardians of water, sewer, transportation systems and the like — and their money is earmarked to build, repair and replace vital infrastructure, they say.

Six special districts in California have amassed more than $1 billion each in cash and investments, with transportation agencies accumulating the richest treasure chests, according to the data.

Another 48 from all over the state — hospital, utility, water, sewer, flood control, air quality districts and the like — have cash and investments exceeding a quarter-billion dollars each.

The billion-plus players in 2017 were mainly in the business of moving Californians: the Bay Area’s Metropolitan Transportation Commission ($3.8 billion), the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority ($1.6 billion), the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District ($1.55 billion), the Orange County Transportation Authority ($1.48 billion), the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California ($1.37 billion), and the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority ($1.06 billion).

The Legislature began requiring the 250 special districts with the greatest annual revenues to have their finances called out separately shortly after the Little Hoover Commission — a good-government watchdog with no enforcement powers — spotlighted reserves that dwarfed annual spending in dozens of agencies and blasted districts for amassing tremendous piles of cash.

Read More . . . .

Democrats approve 25-cent fee on disposable cups

“Government! Three fourths parasitic and the other fourth Stupid fumbling.” 
― Robert A. Heinlein, Stranger in a Strange Land

SAN FRANCISCO — Patrons of restaurants and coffee shops in Berkeley, California, who don't bring a reusable cup for their beverage will have to pay a 25-cent fee for a disposable cup as part of an ordinance approved by city officials to eliminate restaurant waste.

Berkeley's City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to approve the fee on single-use cups, which will take effect January 2020.

"The goal is to transition Berkeley from throwaway to reusable food ware, to incentivize people to bring their own cup," said Councilwoman Sophie Hahn, who proposed the ordinance with Mayor Jesse Arreguin.

Restaurants would keep all proceeds, and it would be up to them to decide what to do with the extra money, Hahn said. She said it could be invested on more environmentally friendly food ware.

The ordinance also requires restaurants to provide takeout containers that are compostable by mid-2020 and to provide only reusable plates and utensils for those eating in. It also says other disposable items, like lids and stirrers, can only be offered when requested.

Read More . . . .

Democrats to tax drinking water

Let me tell you how it will be

There's one for you, nineteen for me

'Cause I'm the taxman, yeah, I'm the taxman

Should five per cent appear too small

Be thankful I don't take it all

'Cause I'm the taxman, yeah I'm the taxman

If you drive a car, I'll tax the street,

If you try to sit, I'll tax your seat.

If you get too cold I'll tax the heat,

If you take a walk, I'll tax your feet.

Don't ask me what I want it for

If you don't want to pay some more

'Cause I'm the taxman, yeah, I'm the taxman

Now my advice for those who die

Declare the pennies on your eyes

'Cause I'm the taxman, yeah, I'm the taxman

And you're working for no one but me.

George Harrison - Taxman

California Governor Gavin Newsom proposed his first budget for the state on Friday, and it includes a tax on drinking water.

The budget, titled “California for All,” declares drinking water a “fundamental right,” and adds: “The Budget includes short-term measures to bring immediate relief to communities without safe drinking water and also proposes an ongoing sustainable funding source to address this problem into the future.”

Safe and Affordable Drinking Water Fund—Establish a new special fund, with a dedicated funding source from new water, fertilizer, and dairy fees, to enable the State Water Resources Control Board to assist communities, particularly disadvantaged communities, in paying for the short-term and long-term costs of obtaining access to safe and affordable drinking water. This proposal is consistent with the policy framework of SB 623, introduced in the 2017-18 legislative session. The Budget also includes $4.9 million General Fund on a one-time basis for the State Water Resources Control Board and the Department of Food and Agriculture to take initial steps toward implementation of this new Safe and Affordable Drinking Water Program, including (1) implementation of fee collection systems, (2) adoption of an annual implementation plan, and (3) development of a map of high-risk aquifers used as drinking water sources.

The San Francisco Chronicle notes: “The details of the proposed tax are unknown, but a similar proposal was abandoned by then-Governor Jerry Brown last year after failing to garner enough support in the legislature.”

Critics have already slammed the plan, with former Republican gubernatorial candidate Travis Allen urging fellow Republicans to “take back” the state, and the Howard Jarvis Taxpayer Association and the Association of California Water Agencies saying the state should tap into its budget surplus to pay for the needed clear water supplies.

Read More . . .

More Bad News for California - Taxes, the Wealthy Leave

Democrats to tax family businesses to death

From Each According To Their Ability

(Sacramento Bee)  -  Chuck Collins, a researcher for a progressive Washington, D.C., think tank, recently wrote a ringing endorsement of a proposed 2020 ballot measure that would impose a state-level estate tax to pay for free college for all Californians (“One way to offer free college: Restore the state estate tax,” Viewpoints, June 13).

Collins apparently doesn’t realize, or doesn’t care, that this $4 billion-a-year proposal would create financial hardships for family businesses and farms that often result in liquidation and loss of jobs.

Family businesses are the bedrock of their communities and the economy. A recent study showed that the state’s 1.4 million small businesses employ 7 million people. They tend to pay their employees more, train them better and provide more generous benefits than non-family companies. They’re also less likely to significantly downsize during tough economic times.

Because families are in it for the long term, they focus not just on the next fiscal quarter but the next quarter-century. And because they’re based in their communities, they donate time and money for local organizations and projects.

But keeping businesses family-owned is a struggle. Only about 30 percent survive into the second generation, about 12 percent into the third generation and just 3 percent operate in the fourth generation and beyond.

To help family businesses pass from one generation to the next, four states have repealed their estate taxes since 2010. Fortunately, two initiatives passed by voters in 1982 prohibit an estate tax in California, and that can only be changed by the voters.

The Family Business Association of California vigorously opposes a “death tax” for California and leads a coalition of 40 associations against the flawed concept. To quote Nobel Prize-winning economist Milton Friedman in a letter that’s been signed by more than 700 other economists: “It is a bad message and a bad tax. Death shouldn’t be a taxable event.”

Robert Rivinius is executive director of the Family Business Association of California. He can be contacted at Robert@mybfa.org.

Read More . . . .

Sex Helps California Democrats to lose Assembly supermajority

Pervert Democrats Kill Supermajority

(AP)  -  California Democrats will be without a supermajority in the Assembly for months and risk losing the two-thirds edge needed to pass tax and fee increases in the Senate.

When lawmakers return in January, they will have two vacant Assembly seats that won't be filled until at least April after Los Angeles members resigned amid sexual misconduct allegations. In the Senate, a member in a competitive district is facing a recall over his support for a gas tax increase and another could face pressure to resign depending on the results of a misconduct allegation.

"It will certainly affect votes," said Democratic Assemblyman Ken Cooley, chairman of the rules committee.

Supermajorities were needed this year to pass the gas tax increase and reauthorize the cap-and-trade program. Passing a budget only requires a simple majority.

Although the changes cut into the Democrats' legislative power, tax and fee increases are less likely to come up for votes in election years because they can be unpopular with voters.

Gov. Jerry Brown on Monday set an April 3 primary date for a special election to replace former Assemblyman Raul Bocangera, who resigned last month amid sexual misconduct allegations. If no candidate gets at least 50 percent of the vote, a general election will take place June 5, the same day as the statewide primary.

A date hasn't been set to replace Assemblyman Matt Dababneh, another San Fernando Valley Democrat, who plans to resign Jan. 1. He denies a lobbyist's allegation that he assaulted her in a bar bathroom last year.

Sen. Tony Mendoza also could face pressure to resign depending on the results of an investigation into sexual misconduct claims. He denies improper behavior.

A date hasn't been set for a recall election against Sen. Josh Newman of Fullerton. Newman's district spans parts of Los Angeles, Orange and San Bernardino counties and is highly competitive.

Democrats jammed a new set of recall rules through the Legislature this year — including one that requires the state to estimate how much a recall will cost.

Read More . . . .

Democrats and common sense do not mix

Democrats jack up gas taxes

Dems Demand: "Give till it hurts"

Democrats never met an illegal alien or corrupt businessman they did not want to give your money to.

(KABC) --

Nancy Alvarez , a mother of three, said her car is her second home. She is worried about how the price of gasoline going up 12 cents a gallon will impact her family financially.

"It's expensive, but I can afford it at the moment," Alvarez said. "I'm able to survive. Anything more than that, you're pushing the limit."

The money from the increase will add up to $52 billion over the next decade to fund transportation projects.

On the same day the gas tax increase will take effect, gas stations will switch from the summer gas blend to a cheaper winter blend which AAA said should minimize the impact of the tax hike.

Since the increase was opposed by the California Republican Party, some residents like Alvarez might change the way they vote.

"I do care about the roads, but I also have to care about regular people like myself, how it affects our bank account." Alvarez said.

Along with the 12-cent increase for regular and premium gas, diesel consumers can expect a 16-cent increase on a gallon of gasoline.

Read More . . . .

Will taxpayers trust the GOP again?

GOP - A Party of Idiots

• The fools running the GOP refused to even put a proposition on the ballot to repeal the insane money-pit bullet train. 
• If you don't actually believe in anything then how can you oppose Marxism?

By Jon Coupal;

The California GOP is rapidly approaching the edge of a black hole from which there is no escape. But rather than reverse course by appealing to the needs and aspirations of average Californians, the response by some Republicans in the Legislature is to rush forward to throw themselves into the abyss by supporting policies that punish the middle-class.

Only a quarter of California voters are registered Republicans, barely more than those declaring no party preference. In the Legislature, Republicans number less than a third of lawmakers in each house.

There was a time when even some Democrats in the Legislature supported a healthy economy, taxpayers’ rights and Proposition 13. If any still exist, they are hiding under their desks. Over the last two decades, that party has lurched to the left and those now in Sacramento are devoted to serving the interests of government (aka public sector unions), the ever-expanding entitlement class and the wealthy denizens of coastal enclaves.

For taxpayers, criticizing Democrats is almost too easy given how thoroughly they have abandoned the middle class. But Republicans have traditionally been held to a much higher standard when it comes to taxation and fiscal responsibility. The question now is the extent to which taxpayers can trust Republicans at all.

With Republican support, the California legislature passed several bills slamming California’s ever-shrinking middle class. First, there was perhaps one of the most unpopular bills in California history, Senate Bill 1, imposing $52 billion in permanent new gas taxes and user fees on California drivers. Next was the infamous “cap-and-trade” legislation, Assembly Bill 398. In a few short years, drivers could be paying a buck and a half a gallon just in taxes and climate fees when added to the already sky-high levies imposed by the state. 

Last, but certainly not least, is Senate Bill 2, part of the California’s ineffective and counterproductive response to the housing shortage. The bill would impose a $75 to $225 “recording fee” on all real estate transactions and generate as much as $258 million annually. Only in California and Monty Python movies would a tax on real estate be considered a rational response to a housing shortage.

Let’s be clear. Those legislators who best defend taxpayers are still Republican. But unfortunately, those faithful few are being smeared by association with those who bend with the wind, succumb to the next big campaign contribution or promise of some “juice committee” appointment or lobbying gig. Note that the reverse is true as well: Some Republican legislators who stood firm for taxpayers were punished by having their committee assignments revoked or banished to the smallest office in the Capitol.

Average taxpayers understand how painful these tax hikes are. But they probably don’t understand how politically incompetent the Republican leadership was in getting them passed. Republican support for tax hikes allowed targeted Democrats in marginal districts (those where a Republican has a chance of winning) to vote against the tax hikes. These Democrats can now seize the mantle of fiscal responsibility even though everyone knows that, had their vote for the hikes been necessary for passage, they would have voted yes. Time and time again, Republican support of tax hikes allowed the “lifeboating” of Democrats in swing districts. To use a phrase by one party leader, this was “felony stupid.”

Taxpayer advocates take no joy in the slow immolation of the Republican Party.

The loss of any effective opposition from a minority party is a loss to all Californians. A strong democratic process relies on the competition of ideas. Moreover, one party rule has led to an extraordinary abuse of power in several areas including campaign rules, shutting down debate and jerry-rigging agencies and commissions in ways to crush political opposition. The loss of a vibrant Republican Party in California will accelerate the state’s metamorphosis into a Venezuela-like banana republic.

In order to have a chance against the power and money of the Democrats, Republicans need to distinguish themselves on critical matters of policy. Unlike social issues — as important as they may be — the fiscal issues of economical government, reasonable taxation and protection of Proposition 13 have been the rock to which Republicans have wisely clung as California’s political skies have turned from purple to blue. A return to these principles is a necessary first step for the GOP to repair its damaged reputation.

Jon Coupal is president of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association.

Read More . . . .