The Los Angeles Times On The State's Business Climate

How does California rank as a place to do business? Here is an interesting article on this subject from the Los Angeles Times. The real culprits: traffic gridlock and the lack of an educated workforce. And George Skelton picks the winners and losers in the budget battles, both short-term and long-term, here.

Dan Walters on Young v. Schmidt

He's pessimistic about the lawsuit's chances (here). The case is still pending before the California Supreme Court. (Full disclosure: I will be representing the Respondents in the case.) And here is Walters' take on the deeper problems causing the budget crisis, and suggesting that a constitutional convention may be the fix.

The Los Angeles Times On The Budget Fix

Here is the editorial from today's Los Angeles Times on the State's budget fix and the need for a constitutional convention.

Harold Meyerson on the California Constitution

Harold Meyerson of the Washington Post pens this op-ed piece for the Los Angeles Times attacking the two-thirds requirements to pass a budget and raise revenue through tax increases.

Court Interprets "Full Text" Rule

Government Code Section 9238 requires that a referendum petition contain the "full text" of the measure being challenged. This seemingly straightforward command has given rise to a surprising amount of litigation. The latest case is Lin v. City of Pleasanton (here). This decision holds that, at most, a referendum petition must include the ordinance being challenged and any documents attached to the ordinance or incorporated by reference. Indeed, the court left open the possibility in footnote 4, citing Defend Bayview Hunters Point Committee v. City and County of San Francisco, 167 Cal. App. 4th 846 (2008), that the full text requirement could be satisfied in some situations even if not every document incorporated or attached to the challenged measure was included. This case continues the reasonable construction of these textual requirements begun in We Care -- Santa Paula v. Herrera, 139 Cal. App. 4th 387 (2006), which followed a string of more exacting decisions. It is sound and there is no reason why the Supreme Court should grant review.

HJTA Moves To Intervene in Two-Thirds Vote Case

The Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association has moved to intervene in Young v. Schmidt, the case challenging the two-thirds rules for passing a budget and raising taxes to increase revenue. A copy of the motion is here. According to the court's docket, the Petitioner will oppose the motion.

Ideology Divides Tax Panel

A foretaste of what could happen to a constitutional convention. Dan Walters reports in the Sacramento Bee (here).