California Dream

Soda taxes stall. Gun taxes survive. A vote on the police solution to police shootings. A rent control repeat. A bill to curb plastic. California gets old.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has acted on the death penalty, high-speed rail and wildfires. But he says resisting President Donald Trump has mainly influenced his first 100 days.

Raising property taxes on businesses means they will pass on the costs to every Californian by increasing prices on just about everything we buy and use, from diapers and day care to gasoline and groceries. That’s the last thing hardworking families need.

Proposition 13 of 1978 brought about a seismic shift in governance in California.  In 2020, 42 years after Proposition 13’s passage, voters will have an opportunity to reform the 1978 initiative by requiring that commercial and industrial property owners pay their fair share.

At a time in life when Californians in their 60s and 70s anticipate retirement, and maybe some downtime, some are becoming caregivers and guardians of their parents—a trend expected to intensify.

As inequality increases and encampments sprout in virtually every city statewide, some Californians are taking it upon themselves to address the pressing needs of homeless people in their neighborhoods—doing the work they think government should be doing, but isn’t.

As Gavin Newsom delivers his first State of the State speech, how do his plans prepare California for that dream—not just next year, but 5, 20, 30 years from now?

UC Berkeley is matching graduate students looking for housing with retirees who have extra space in their homes. The program's organizers hope it will prove successful enough to export to other UC campuses.

Why a split roll initiative is a bad idea: Changing Proposition 13 to permit commercial property to be taxed at market value would worsen the housing crisis and destabilize government finances. Just as taxpayers make adjustments to reduce their taxes, government officials embrace projects that will increase revenue.

Health insurance and higher ed could become more affordable for the middle class in California—but probably not the cost of caring for aging family members.