Amid all the small business failures and bankruptcies, worse
than I’ve seen in 25 years of practicing law, and the remaining
business owners facing possible repeal of Prop. 13 if Prop. 56 is
approved by the voters in March, a few reasons for joy have
appeared.
Amid all the small business failures and bankruptcies, worse than I’ve seen in 25 years of practicing law, and the remaining business owners facing possible repeal of Prop. 13 if Prop. 56 is approved by the voters in March, a few reasons for joy have appeared.
1. Sen. Denham gave some hope to farmers and ranchers and agribusiness when he said at his town hall meeting here Dec. 9 that he opposes the Anti-Growth Initiative (Measure G), correctly saying it is a violation of private property rights.
2. Sen. Denham also gave some hope to small business owners when he said he opposes Prop. 56 on the March ballot, which if enacted would permit our government to impose more taxes without 2/3’s voter approval as required by Prop. 13.
3. The next day, Dec. 10, the California Supreme Court agreed with Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, who argued that a $2 billion bond to pay the public employees retirement system annual payment was unconstitutional. A rare victory for taxpayers, it underscores the fallacy of schemes to “bail out” California by borrowing to pay state expenses.
4. A divided PUC voted to approve PG&E’s bankruptcy plan of reorganization. The Legislature in 1996 had unanimously voted to open the Pandora’s Box of “deregulation,” overturning about a century’s worth of wisdom, and California paid, and is paying, and will be paying a high price for the failed experiment. Two years ago I asked Sen. McPherson at the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce meeting at The Vault Restaurant why we didn’t repeal utility deregulation. Maybe now we will.
Joseph P. Thompson,
Tres Pinos
