CA’s Remarkable and Powerful Gay and Lesbian Political Leadership – What is Next From Them?

 For some years Californian’s have given gay and lesbian politicians extraordinary leadership opportunities and power in the state. The power these politicians possess in state government is from stronger positions and relatively larger numbers than that of many other minority groups, including Asian elected officials, in a state where Asians comprise 14% of the population, and they arguably possess more political power than African-American politicians, whose affinity group represents close to 7% of the state population. California’s gay and lesbian elected officials have wielded this power even as those same California voters disapproved gay marriage at the ballot, as in 2008, when just over 52% of voters approved a ban on same-sex marriage.  (The same voters gave Barack Obama over 61% of their votes in the same election.) But times are changing, and California’s highly influential gay and lesbian elected officials, who have been so successful on civil rights issues for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, and have worked so hard on issues like same-sex marriage, have surely played a role in the remarkable changes in California public opinion since 2008.  According to a September 2013 Public Policy Institute of California poll (taken well before the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision approving same sex marriage as a Constitutional right), a record high 61% of Californians and 64% of likely voters favored allowing gay and lesbian couples to legally marry, and in apparent remorse for the 2008 vote on Proposition 8, solid majorities of Californians (59%) and likely voters (63%) approved of the U.S. Supreme Court’s earlier decision to let stand a lower court ruling that put a “stay” on Proposition 8′s ban on same-sex marriage in California. One might guess that public opinion in California in favor of same-sex marriage is even more popular today than in PPIC’s last survey.

Who are these notably powerful gay and lesbian leaders? They are almost all liberal Democrats, and have served in responsible leadership positions (some retired only because of term limits) in the last decade and include current Assembly Speaker (the state assembly’s most important position) Toni Atkins of San Diego, the state’s first out lesbian Speaker, and her immediate predecessor John Perez of Los Angeles, the state’s first out gay Assembly Speaker.  Included also are former State Senator Sheila Kuehl from Santa Monica, now serving in the significant position of Los Angeles County Supervisor, current State Senator Mark Leno of San Francisco, the State Senate’s first out gay State Senator and a possible successor for Nancy Pelosi’s Congressional seat,  former State Senator Carole Migden of San Francisco, along with retired State Senator Christine Kehoe of San Diego and retired Assembly member Jackie Goldberg of Los Angeles. Congressman Mark Takano of Riverside is an out gay, as is San Diego County Supervisor Dave Roberts. They are all Democrats and are joined by many more gay and lesbian elected officials throughout the state in other state and local offices.

Via: California Political Review

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California's budget outlook is the best in a decade, analyst says

TYPICAL LEFT WING MEDIA HYPE!! ALL IS NOT WELL IN THE GOLDEN STATE

SACRAMENTO -- California's finances are bouncing back after a lengthy recession, and tax revenues are primed for strong growth over the next several years, according to a report issued Wednesday by the Legislature's budget analyst.

"We now find that California’s state budget situation is even more promising than we projected one year ago," said the report from the Legislative Analyst's Office. "The state’s budgetary condition is stronger than at any point in the past decade."

The state is on track to end the current fiscal year next June with a reserve of $2.4 billion, more than twice the original estimate of $1.1 billion, thanks to higher-than-expected tax revenue, the report said. California's school funding formula is also expected to send $3.1 billion more to schools.

By 2020, state revenue could be $27.1 billion higher than the latest projections for the current fiscal year, according to the report.

Increased revenue could help cushion the state when temporary taxes under Proposition 30 expire in 2018. The analyst's office projects a $9.6-billion surplus that year.

"This helps prevent a 'cliff effect,' " the report said.

The analyst's office cautioned that surpluses are dependent on several factors, most notably continued growth in the stock market. More federal budget standoffs in Congress, like the country has experienced in the past year, could harm California's finances.

Assembly Speaker John A. Pérez (D-Los Angeles) issued a statement saying the new numbers "validate the wisdom of the fiscal actions the Legislature and governor have taken." He said he would continue pushing for a new ballot measure to help California save money in a rainy day fund, something the state has lacked in recent years.

Via: LA Times

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California: Political Sinkhole of the West

Anyone who follows politics in California knows that the republicans are fighting a losing battle.  Jerry Brown is again going to the taxpayers to bail out the state.  To add insult to injury the 2012-2013 budget bill he just signed includes revenues of $8.2 billion that will come from his tax initiatives "IF" they pass.

There are many ways that we can paint this picture.  First of all, if history is any indication of the failures of the past, higher taxes do not raise revenues.  It usually has the opposite effect.  When Illinois passed a tax increase in last year, revenue went down faster than a roller coaster at Disneyland. There is only so much you can do to tax your way out of trouble.  Business's and people have moved to neighboring states where the tax burden is lower and the business environment is pro-active.  This is the exact same thing that has been happening in California for the past few years.  Business's are leaving at the rate of five a week and this is not the worst of it.  California has ranked at the bottom of the least friendly state to do business eight years running according to Chief Executive magazine.  And as the taxes and regulatory burden increases more and more people are leaving the state for friendlier pastures. You know when things are getting worse when you see other states putting up billboards in your state.