Category Archives: California

Luckily, I’m not served by the Orange County Sanitation District (OCSD). That’s because the Orange County Register disclosed that the OCSD has been paying a “spiritual counselor” $15,000 per month (or $180,000 per year). The Register reported on July 12th … Continue reading →

Yes, it is possible for a piece of property to drop in value in California. The San Francisco Giants ballpark, SBC Park (formerly PacBell Park), has dropped in value by $88 million between 2001 and 2003, according to the Assessment … Continue reading →

…and still has a $5 Billion deficit projected for next year. Oh, the Governator signed the budget. Moody’s Investment Services followed up by raising California’s Debt Rating from A3 (bad) to A2 (not as bad). Perhaps I’m being a bit … Continue reading →

As reported yesterday, California will soon have its’ new 2005-06 budget. Dan Weintraub, a columnist with the Sacramento Bee, reports on more of the specifics (missing from yesterday’s report). Some highlights: —Education funding increases, despite what you may hear from … Continue reading →

California’s legislature and the Governator agreed on a budget last night that, supposedly, increases spending (a little) without increasing taxes (or implementing new taxes). That doesn’t mean there won’t be new fees, including new court filing costs, and who knows … Continue reading →

They’re at it again. The California Public Employees Unions are, according to this story in the San Jose Business Journal, gathering signatures on an initiative that would cause all non-residential property to be reassessed annually. While this would be a … Continue reading →

I recently wrote a post about my company’s receipt of a letter mandating participation in California’s electronic tax payment program. Two weeks following receipt of that letter I received a call from someone at the FTB acknowledging that my company … Continue reading →

San Diego may be the city with the best climate in the world; however, its’ pension system has driven the city to near bankruptcy. John Moorlach, Orange County’s Treasurer-Tax Collector, wrote an op-ed piece in today’s Register about the parallels. … Continue reading →

In a comment to my post on real estate prices, Andrew asked if I had any backup for my statement that restrictions (environmental and otherwise) are increasing the costs of new homes. And there’s plenty available in the literature. This … Continue reading →

The Franchise Tax Board and the Employment Development Department don’t believe there is such a thing as an independent contractor. Indeed, California’s rules and regulations on independent contractors are much stricter than the IRS’s rules. So it should come as … Continue reading →