[ 10,000 businesses have left due to tax and regulatory issues, way to go libtards. ]
[h=1]How many businesses have left California? This report claims to have an answer[/h]
California’s costly tax and regulatory policies have driven scores of businesses to leave the state, reduce their operations or curtail plans to locate here, according to a report from Spectrum Location Solutions. FILE (Photo by John Valenzuela/The Sun)
By Kevin Smith, San Gabriel Valley Tribune
Posted: 08/09/16, 1:53 PM PDT | Updated: 1 week, 5 days ago
3 Comments
California’s costly tax and regulatory policies prompted more than 10,000 businesses to leave the state, reduce their operations or curtail plans to locate here between 2008 and 2015, according to a report from Spectrum Location Solutions.
The Irvine-based company conducts site-selection studies and other assessments to help businesses relocate to optimum states and locales for their operations. Some of their clients include corporations that have relocated out of California, like Honda.
The report, “California Business Departures: An Eight-Year Review 2008-2015,” reveals that at least 1,687 California disinvestment events occurred during that period, a count that reflects only those that became public knowledge.
And for every disinvestment that became known — either through media reports, company announcements or company reports to the U.S. Department of Labor, the Securities and Exchange Commission or the California Employment Development Department — another five occurred, the report said.
In preparing the Spectrum report, site selection consultants and economic development personnel from across the U.S. were asked this question:
For every company that leaves an area — any area, not just California — how many others make such a move without any media coverage or without having to file a report with the state or federal government?
Responses ranged from five to seven, with a few indicating that as many as 10 additional businesses made disinvestment moves for every one that was known. Spectrum ultimately relied on the most conservative estimate of five. With that multiplier in mind, the total number of businesses disinvestment actions in the Golden State exceeded 10,000.
A variety of factors would appear to support the multiplier theory. Smaller companies often avoid issuing statements about such moves to avoid publicity. And companies that expand outside of California to serve new territories — actions that might appear unrelated to California’s difficult business climate — often are not listed.
Another factor is the California Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act. That requires companies to file a furlough notice with the state Employment Development Department giving a 60-day notice if it employs 75 employees or more and lays off 50 or more during any 30-day period. But a review of the notices indicates the absence of companies with 74 employees and lower that are known through other sources to have closed completely or in part and left the state, the report said.
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Several types of disinvestment events were tracked, with “relocation” accounting for the lion’s share.
Figures in the report show that 1,085 businesses moved all or part of their operations outside of California during the 2008-2015 period, with 498 of the moves shifting operations from California to another country through offshoring, outsourcing, relocation or expansion.
Other forms of disinvestment included businesses that closed a facility in California with work migrating to one or several out-of-state locations, capital directed elsewhere that in the past would likely have stayed in California, work dispersed to other unknown areas outside of California, “U-turns” that occurred when a business was considering locating here but ultimately opted for an out-of-state location, and the canceled construction or lease of a planned facility in California.
Economist Christopher Thornberg, a founding partner with Beacon Economics, acknowledged that California’s isn’t the most business friendly state. But he said the state’s economy is still moving in a positive direction.
“Some companies do move out of California because of cost concerns,” he said. “Would I like to see those jobs stay here? Of course. But we still added more jobs than Florida and Texas put together. If you take a good hard look at things, our state is largely a success story.”
Figures from the state Employment Development Department show that California led the nation in year-over-year growth in June with 461,100 jobs added — outpacing Florida’s new 244,500 jobs and Texas, which added 171,100.
Spectrum President Joe Vranich, who authored the report, isn’t impressed by that number. Texas, he said, still outperformed California over the past 15 to 20 years in overall employment growth. He added that the California jobs that have moved to Texas tend to pay higher wages than the Texas jobs that have migrated to California.
“Texas is outperforming California on so many metrics,” Vranich said.
It’s not all bad. The Spectrum report notes that California offers a variety of incentive programs to help businesses, many of which are administered through the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development. Those include tax incentives for aerospace companies, California Film Commission incentives, employment training panel incentives and California Energy Commission incentives.
Some of those incentives are hefty.
Tesla, a Palo Alto-based makers of electric cars, received $15 million in tax credits last year. And Environmental Systems Research Institute Inc., a Redlands-based international supplier of geographic information system software, received $2 million in tax credits.
But those incentives are still somewhat overshadowed by the businesses that have left California. The report shows that manufacturing firms accounted for the largest swath of businesses (562) that went looking for greener pastures, followed by pharmaceutical companies, makers of medical devices, biotech firms, health and dental businesses and veterinary businesses.
Other sectors that ranked high on the list included online retailers, e-commerce businesses, makers of communications equipment, and distribution, warehousing and logistics firms.
The report includes information on several businesses that either have moved their operations out of California or are planning to.
Kubota Tractor Corp. and Kubota Credit Corp., the company’s financing arm, plan to move their headquarters from Torrance to Grapevine, Texas. A new facility in Grapevine is expected to be completed by early 2017. Kubota President and CEO Masato Yoshikawa indicated in the Spectrum report that the friendly business climate in Texas “is a big factor.”
Yoshikawa said Kubota was focused more on getting closer to its major markets and customers. But the report notes that lower business and employee costs, taxes and regulations in Texas could well allow the company to cuts its expenses by 20 to 35 percent. The move will affect about 180 employees at the Torrance headquarters.
H.J. Heinz Co. shuttered its Chatsworth condiment plant last year and moved those operations to Mason, Ohio, a move that resulted in the layoff of 145 workers.
RifleGear, a Fountain Valley company that sells a variety of firearms, moved its corporate headquarters to Plano, Texas, this year and Walt Disney Parks and Resorts plans to transfer manufacturing of costumes for the company’s theme park workers from Fullerton to Orlando, furloughing 85 employees in the process.
The report also reveals that California is considering imposing a broad set of taxes on businesses in 2016 and 2017, including higher fuel and motor vehicle taxes and a tax increase on business properties
[h=1]How many businesses have left California? This report claims to have an answer[/h]
By Kevin Smith, San Gabriel Valley Tribune
Posted: 08/09/16, 1:53 PM PDT | Updated: 1 week, 5 days ago
3 Comments
California’s costly tax and regulatory policies prompted more than 10,000 businesses to leave the state, reduce their operations or curtail plans to locate here between 2008 and 2015, according to a report from Spectrum Location Solutions.
The Irvine-based company conducts site-selection studies and other assessments to help businesses relocate to optimum states and locales for their operations. Some of their clients include corporations that have relocated out of California, like Honda.
The report, “California Business Departures: An Eight-Year Review 2008-2015,” reveals that at least 1,687 California disinvestment events occurred during that period, a count that reflects only those that became public knowledge.
And for every disinvestment that became known — either through media reports, company announcements or company reports to the U.S. Department of Labor, the Securities and Exchange Commission or the California Employment Development Department — another five occurred, the report said.
In preparing the Spectrum report, site selection consultants and economic development personnel from across the U.S. were asked this question:
For every company that leaves an area — any area, not just California — how many others make such a move without any media coverage or without having to file a report with the state or federal government?
Responses ranged from five to seven, with a few indicating that as many as 10 additional businesses made disinvestment moves for every one that was known. Spectrum ultimately relied on the most conservative estimate of five. With that multiplier in mind, the total number of businesses disinvestment actions in the Golden State exceeded 10,000.
A variety of factors would appear to support the multiplier theory. Smaller companies often avoid issuing statements about such moves to avoid publicity. And companies that expand outside of California to serve new territories — actions that might appear unrelated to California’s difficult business climate — often are not listed.
Another factor is the California Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act. That requires companies to file a furlough notice with the state Employment Development Department giving a 60-day notice if it employs 75 employees or more and lays off 50 or more during any 30-day period. But a review of the notices indicates the absence of companies with 74 employees and lower that are known through other sources to have closed completely or in part and left the state, the report said.
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Several types of disinvestment events were tracked, with “relocation” accounting for the lion’s share.
Figures in the report show that 1,085 businesses moved all or part of their operations outside of California during the 2008-2015 period, with 498 of the moves shifting operations from California to another country through offshoring, outsourcing, relocation or expansion.
Other forms of disinvestment included businesses that closed a facility in California with work migrating to one or several out-of-state locations, capital directed elsewhere that in the past would likely have stayed in California, work dispersed to other unknown areas outside of California, “U-turns” that occurred when a business was considering locating here but ultimately opted for an out-of-state location, and the canceled construction or lease of a planned facility in California.
Economist Christopher Thornberg, a founding partner with Beacon Economics, acknowledged that California’s isn’t the most business friendly state. But he said the state’s economy is still moving in a positive direction.
“Some companies do move out of California because of cost concerns,” he said. “Would I like to see those jobs stay here? Of course. But we still added more jobs than Florida and Texas put together. If you take a good hard look at things, our state is largely a success story.”
Figures from the state Employment Development Department show that California led the nation in year-over-year growth in June with 461,100 jobs added — outpacing Florida’s new 244,500 jobs and Texas, which added 171,100.
Spectrum President Joe Vranich, who authored the report, isn’t impressed by that number. Texas, he said, still outperformed California over the past 15 to 20 years in overall employment growth. He added that the California jobs that have moved to Texas tend to pay higher wages than the Texas jobs that have migrated to California.
“Texas is outperforming California on so many metrics,” Vranich said.
It’s not all bad. The Spectrum report notes that California offers a variety of incentive programs to help businesses, many of which are administered through the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development. Those include tax incentives for aerospace companies, California Film Commission incentives, employment training panel incentives and California Energy Commission incentives.
Some of those incentives are hefty.
Tesla, a Palo Alto-based makers of electric cars, received $15 million in tax credits last year. And Environmental Systems Research Institute Inc., a Redlands-based international supplier of geographic information system software, received $2 million in tax credits.
But those incentives are still somewhat overshadowed by the businesses that have left California. The report shows that manufacturing firms accounted for the largest swath of businesses (562) that went looking for greener pastures, followed by pharmaceutical companies, makers of medical devices, biotech firms, health and dental businesses and veterinary businesses.
Other sectors that ranked high on the list included online retailers, e-commerce businesses, makers of communications equipment, and distribution, warehousing and logistics firms.
The report includes information on several businesses that either have moved their operations out of California or are planning to.
Kubota Tractor Corp. and Kubota Credit Corp., the company’s financing arm, plan to move their headquarters from Torrance to Grapevine, Texas. A new facility in Grapevine is expected to be completed by early 2017. Kubota President and CEO Masato Yoshikawa indicated in the Spectrum report that the friendly business climate in Texas “is a big factor.”
Yoshikawa said Kubota was focused more on getting closer to its major markets and customers. But the report notes that lower business and employee costs, taxes and regulations in Texas could well allow the company to cuts its expenses by 20 to 35 percent. The move will affect about 180 employees at the Torrance headquarters.
H.J. Heinz Co. shuttered its Chatsworth condiment plant last year and moved those operations to Mason, Ohio, a move that resulted in the layoff of 145 workers.
RifleGear, a Fountain Valley company that sells a variety of firearms, moved its corporate headquarters to Plano, Texas, this year and Walt Disney Parks and Resorts plans to transfer manufacturing of costumes for the company’s theme park workers from Fullerton to Orlando, furloughing 85 employees in the process.
The report also reveals that California is considering imposing a broad set of taxes on businesses in 2016 and 2017, including higher fuel and motor vehicle taxes and a tax increase on business properties
[h=1]California’s Broken System For Low-Income Dental Care[/h] By Ben Bradford • 4 hours ago
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3:42
The government spends more than $1 billion annually on California teeth, offering dental coverage to 13 million low-income residents who qualify for Medi-Cal services. But, most California dentists refuse to participate in the Denti-Cal program, leaving patients with impossible wait times that lead to expensive health consequences.
The Asian Health Services dental clinic in Oakland is the rare office that sees patients who get their dental coverage through Medi-Cal.
Even with six dentists working on 50 patients a day, office assistant Tiffany Sitlin says the clinic can’t keep up with demand.
“We’re booked out to next year right now. April 2017,” says Sitlin.
Cho Hye Yeong, 72, is one of the patients who has had to wait for treatment.
More than a year ago, the Alameda resident first made an appointment for some tooth pain. X-rays showed a cavity, but the clinic could not fit her in for another six months to fill it. By then, the tooth had worsened.
“They told me I need root canal,” says Cho, through a dental assistant at the clinic, who acts as a translator.
They performed the root canal, but Cho would need to come back months later for another appointment for a crown, to cap and protect the tooth. While she waited, the tooth broke.
Cho is waiting again this time at the clinic, for a bridge, to cover the gap where her tooth used to be.
To patient advocates, Cho’s is a familiar story. Denti-Cal covers some of California’s most vulnerable populations, many of whom don’t speak English and struggle when they need to navigate Denti-Cal’s often inaccurate lists to find the rare dentists that accept their coverage.
“They just wait until there’s an emergency to get teeth pulled out, go to Mexico, go to a garage, pull them out themselves—that’s another story I’ve heard,” says Melinda Cordero-Barzaga, who works for Vision y Compriso, which helps connect Latino immigrants to health services.
“Those, to me, are horror stories, because there’s no need to get to that point,” says Cordero-Barzaga.
Thirteen million Californians qualify, but a 2014 state audit found 11 counties have no dentists taking new Denti-Cal patients, while another sixteen are underserved.
Credit Capital Public Radio (c) 2016
“When I first came out of dental school, we all had some Denti-Cal patients. It was part of our civic duty,” says Dr. Janice Scott at Deer Park Dental in Stockton.
She doesn’t anymore.
The more than a $1 billion California spends each year for Denti-Cal services is still just one percent of the Medi-Cal budget. The program pays private dentists some of the lowest rates in the country for the work they perform. Scott says the amount of paperwork and bureaucracy and back-and-forth with Denti-Cal to get that pay is so great, she would rather not deal with it.
“For me, I find it’s just easier to do it for free than to spend the hours, and they go ‘well we’re not going to pay you anyway.’ It’s just doesn’t make sense. It’s easier to do it for free,” says Scott.
Another recent state oversight report finds the rates the state pays for Denti-Cal haven’t increased since 2001 and it calls the program’s administration “baffling,” “frustrating” and “harmful.”
“I think [the report was] fair. I think they really served to reinforce what the program already knows about itself,” says Alani Jackson, who heads the Denti-Cal program.
She says the agency is exploring how it can streamline paperwork and better connect people to dentists. But, while the state report calls Denti-Cal “broken,” Jackson says it’s performing.
“I would say that it is doing the job it’s supposed to be doing,” says Denti-Cal chief Alani Jackson.
She maintains there are enough dentists for Denti-Cal to meet its contractual obligations under Medi-Cal and receive federal funds. She says people experiencing long waits or who can’t find care need to call Denti-Cal for help.
The waits will likely get longer, because of basic math. Even as dentists have continued to drop out, lawmakers have almost doubled the number of eligible patients in the program.
Dr. Scott says the problem is fundamentally about how the state prioritizes dental care against other medical care.
“It’s like we carve the mouth out of the body,” says Scott. “We wouldn’t let a kid run around with a cut hand or a broken leg, but we’ll let them run around with a mouth full of cavities, and they’re in pain. It’s a humane thing.”
Lawmakers have acknowledged Denti-Cal’s problems, and recently, efforts to make changes have gained momentum. But that hasn’t included any more state money to increase rates and attract dentists.
In the second part of our series, CapRadio takes a closer look at what lawmakers are and aren’t doing to fix Denti-Cal.
Copyright 2016 Capital Public Radio
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Dental assistants perform a cleaning at the Asian Health Services Dental Clinic in Oakland. As one of the few practices that offers specialty care to Denti-Cal patients, the clinic has nearly a year-long waitlist and is not accepting new patients
Ben Bradford/Capital Public Radio
Listen
Listening...
3:42
The government spends more than $1 billion annually on California teeth, offering dental coverage to 13 million low-income residents who qualify for Medi-Cal services. But, most California dentists refuse to participate in the Denti-Cal program, leaving patients with impossible wait times that lead to expensive health consequences.
The Asian Health Services dental clinic in Oakland is the rare office that sees patients who get their dental coverage through Medi-Cal.
Even with six dentists working on 50 patients a day, office assistant Tiffany Sitlin says the clinic can’t keep up with demand.
“We’re booked out to next year right now. April 2017,” says Sitlin.
Cho Hye Yeong, 72, is one of the patients who has had to wait for treatment.
More than a year ago, the Alameda resident first made an appointment for some tooth pain. X-rays showed a cavity, but the clinic could not fit her in for another six months to fill it. By then, the tooth had worsened.
“They told me I need root canal,” says Cho, through a dental assistant at the clinic, who acts as a translator.
They performed the root canal, but Cho would need to come back months later for another appointment for a crown, to cap and protect the tooth. While she waited, the tooth broke.
Cho is waiting again this time at the clinic, for a bridge, to cover the gap where her tooth used to be.
To patient advocates, Cho’s is a familiar story. Denti-Cal covers some of California’s most vulnerable populations, many of whom don’t speak English and struggle when they need to navigate Denti-Cal’s often inaccurate lists to find the rare dentists that accept their coverage.
“They just wait until there’s an emergency to get teeth pulled out, go to Mexico, go to a garage, pull them out themselves—that’s another story I’ve heard,” says Melinda Cordero-Barzaga, who works for Vision y Compriso, which helps connect Latino immigrants to health services.
“Those, to me, are horror stories, because there’s no need to get to that point,” says Cordero-Barzaga.
Thirteen million Californians qualify, but a 2014 state audit found 11 counties have no dentists taking new Denti-Cal patients, while another sixteen are underserved.
Credit Capital Public Radio (c) 2016“When I first came out of dental school, we all had some Denti-Cal patients. It was part of our civic duty,” says Dr. Janice Scott at Deer Park Dental in Stockton.
She doesn’t anymore.
The more than a $1 billion California spends each year for Denti-Cal services is still just one percent of the Medi-Cal budget. The program pays private dentists some of the lowest rates in the country for the work they perform. Scott says the amount of paperwork and bureaucracy and back-and-forth with Denti-Cal to get that pay is so great, she would rather not deal with it.
“For me, I find it’s just easier to do it for free than to spend the hours, and they go ‘well we’re not going to pay you anyway.’ It’s just doesn’t make sense. It’s easier to do it for free,” says Scott.
Another recent state oversight report finds the rates the state pays for Denti-Cal haven’t increased since 2001 and it calls the program’s administration “baffling,” “frustrating” and “harmful.”
“I think [the report was] fair. I think they really served to reinforce what the program already knows about itself,” says Alani Jackson, who heads the Denti-Cal program.
She says the agency is exploring how it can streamline paperwork and better connect people to dentists. But, while the state report calls Denti-Cal “broken,” Jackson says it’s performing.
“I would say that it is doing the job it’s supposed to be doing,” says Denti-Cal chief Alani Jackson.
She maintains there are enough dentists for Denti-Cal to meet its contractual obligations under Medi-Cal and receive federal funds. She says people experiencing long waits or who can’t find care need to call Denti-Cal for help.
The waits will likely get longer, because of basic math. Even as dentists have continued to drop out, lawmakers have almost doubled the number of eligible patients in the program.
Dr. Scott says the problem is fundamentally about how the state prioritizes dental care against other medical care.
“It’s like we carve the mouth out of the body,” says Scott. “We wouldn’t let a kid run around with a cut hand or a broken leg, but we’ll let them run around with a mouth full of cavities, and they’re in pain. It’s a humane thing.”
Lawmakers have acknowledged Denti-Cal’s problems, and recently, efforts to make changes have gained momentum. But that hasn’t included any more state money to increase rates and attract dentists.
In the second part of our series, CapRadio takes a closer look at what lawmakers are and aren’t doing to fix Denti-Cal.
Copyright 2016 Capital Public Radio
[ Liberalism is a mental disorder. ]
[h=1]California Janitor Collected a $276,000 Salary in the Past Year[/h]
on August 15, 2011 in San Francisco, California." style="max-width: 100%; height: auto; display: block; width: 640px;">
by KATHERINE RODRIGUEZ6 Nov 2016182
[h=2]A California janitor collected a six-figure salary over the past year for the third year in a row, TIME reported.[/h]CNBC reports Liang Zhao Zhang, a San Francisco-based janitor who works for the BART transit system, collected a base salary of $57,945 and $162,050 in overtime pay, for a total of $276,121 after benefits were added in.
Watchdog groups such as Transparent California have called BART’s compensation packages “outrageous and irresponsible,” but Zhang’s employer says it’s not his fault.
He “signs up for every overtime slot that becomes available,” BART spokesperson Alicia Trost tells CNBC. “He is likely working almost every day of the year cleaning our stations.”
Zhang put in over 4,000 hours in 2015, clocking in double the amount of hours the average BART employee works, according to the SF Gate.
“He is signing up for time that is also available to others,” Trost said. “If he doesn’t take the hours, someone else will. The sign-ups are based on seniority.”
SF Gate estimates that his hourly rate, excluding benefits, adds up to $56 per hour.
While Zhang’s salary is large, it pales in comparison to what the head of BART makes.
Grace Crunican, general manager of BART, raked in $458,810 in total compensation last year, according to Transparent California.
[h=1]California Janitor Collected a $276,000 Salary in the Past Year[/h]
78
0
by KATHERINE RODRIGUEZ6 Nov 2016182
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[h=2]A California janitor collected a six-figure salary over the past year for the third year in a row, TIME reported.[/h]CNBC reports Liang Zhao Zhang, a San Francisco-based janitor who works for the BART transit system, collected a base salary of $57,945 and $162,050 in overtime pay, for a total of $276,121 after benefits were added in.
Watchdog groups such as Transparent California have called BART’s compensation packages “outrageous and irresponsible,” but Zhang’s employer says it’s not his fault.
He “signs up for every overtime slot that becomes available,” BART spokesperson Alicia Trost tells CNBC. “He is likely working almost every day of the year cleaning our stations.”
Zhang put in over 4,000 hours in 2015, clocking in double the amount of hours the average BART employee works, according to the SF Gate.
“He is signing up for time that is also available to others,” Trost said. “If he doesn’t take the hours, someone else will. The sign-ups are based on seniority.”
SF Gate estimates that his hourly rate, excluding benefits, adds up to $56 per hour.
While Zhang’s salary is large, it pales in comparison to what the head of BART makes.
Grace Crunican, general manager of BART, raked in $458,810 in total compensation last year, according to Transparent California.
[ Now extra taxes on soda in kooky California ]
[h=1]Soda tax measures pass in 4 US cities[/h] Published November 09, 2016FoxNews.com
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(Reuters)
Sugary soda is about to get more expensive in several cities.
On Tuesday, San Francisco, Oakland, Albany, Calif. and Boulder, Colo. voters passed measures to tax sodas in landslide victories.
"This is an astonishing repudiation of big soda. For too long, the big soda companies got away with putting profits over their customers’ health," Jim Krieger, the executive director of Healthy Food America, told Vox Tuesday. "That changed tonight."
Beverage industry, others sue to block Philadelphia soda tax
In California, sodas will be one-cent-per ounce more expensive while people in Colorado will have to pay two-cents more for every ounce of sugary soda purchased. The tax applies to energy drinks, sweetened tea and sports drinks-- but not to diet sodas.
Spending by tax proponents and opponents of the measures was expected to top $50 million during election season, fueled by heavy contributions from dueling national interests. In many ways, the American Beverage Association went head-to-head over the issue with tax backer and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
Proponents hope that success in the San Francisco Bay Area will prompt other parts of the country to tax the drinks they say contribute to obesity, diabetes and other health problems. They also say it's a small price to ensure the health of children targeted by the soda industry.
Opponents, however, argued that the tax is regressive and will hurt lower-income families the most. They also claim grocers will now be forced to raise prices on other items to cover the cost. Opponents also said that it’s unfair to single out soda in the battle to fight obesity and diabetes.
Coca-Cola Co, PepsiCo and other companies in the roughly $100 billion U.S. soft drink industry are continuing to fight the taxes at a time when soda consumption is falling in the U.S.
You won’t believe the insane calorie counts of these comfort foods
In 2014, a similar proposal failed to get enough votes for a dedicated tax, which requires two-thirds approval. This year, backers went for a general tax, which requires a simple majority and doesn't stipulate how the revenue is spent.
Voters in Berkeley approved a penny-per-ounce soda tax in 2014. Philadelphia approved one in June, taxing diet drinks as well.
[h=1]Soda tax measures pass in 4 US cities[/h] Published November 09, 2016FoxNews.com
Facebook Twitter livefyre Email Print
Sugary soda is about to get more expensive in several cities.
On Tuesday, San Francisco, Oakland, Albany, Calif. and Boulder, Colo. voters passed measures to tax sodas in landslide victories.
"This is an astonishing repudiation of big soda. For too long, the big soda companies got away with putting profits over their customers’ health," Jim Krieger, the executive director of Healthy Food America, told Vox Tuesday. "That changed tonight."
Beverage industry, others sue to block Philadelphia soda tax
In California, sodas will be one-cent-per ounce more expensive while people in Colorado will have to pay two-cents more for every ounce of sugary soda purchased. The tax applies to energy drinks, sweetened tea and sports drinks-- but not to diet sodas.
Spending by tax proponents and opponents of the measures was expected to top $50 million during election season, fueled by heavy contributions from dueling national interests. In many ways, the American Beverage Association went head-to-head over the issue with tax backer and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
Proponents hope that success in the San Francisco Bay Area will prompt other parts of the country to tax the drinks they say contribute to obesity, diabetes and other health problems. They also say it's a small price to ensure the health of children targeted by the soda industry.
Opponents, however, argued that the tax is regressive and will hurt lower-income families the most. They also claim grocers will now be forced to raise prices on other items to cover the cost. Opponents also said that it’s unfair to single out soda in the battle to fight obesity and diabetes.
Coca-Cola Co, PepsiCo and other companies in the roughly $100 billion U.S. soft drink industry are continuing to fight the taxes at a time when soda consumption is falling in the U.S.
You won’t believe the insane calorie counts of these comfort foods
In 2014, a similar proposal failed to get enough votes for a dedicated tax, which requires two-thirds approval. This year, backers went for a general tax, which requires a simple majority and doesn't stipulate how the revenue is spent.
Voters in Berkeley approved a penny-per-ounce soda tax in 2014. Philadelphia approved one in June, taxing diet drinks as well.
WHY CALIFORNIA IS FLAT BROKE AND TEXAS IS NOT
The governor of California is walking with his dog along a nature trail. A coyote jumps out and attacks the governor’s dog, then bites the governor. The governor starts to intervene, but reflects upon the movie Bambi and then realizes he should stop because the coyote is only doing what is natural.
He calls animal control. Animal control captures the coyote and bills the state $200 for testing it for diseases and $500 for relocating it. He calls a veterinarian. The vet collects the dead dog and bills the state $200 for testing it for diseases. The governor goes to the hospital and spends $3,500 getting checked for diseases from the coyote and getting his bite wound bandaged.
The running trail gets shut down for six months while the California Fish and Game Department conducts a $100,000 survey to make sure the area is now free of dangerous animals. The governor spends $50,000 in state funds implementing a ‘coyote awareness program’ for residents of the area. The Legislature spends $2 million to study how to better treat rabies and how to permanently eradicate the disease throughout the world. The governor’s security agent is fired for not stopping the attack. The state spends $150,000 to hire and train a new agent with additional special training, re: the nature of coyotes. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) protests the coyote’s relocation and files a $5 million suit against the state.
The governor of Texas is wheeling along with his dog along a nature trail. A coyote jumps out and tries to attack him and his dog. The governor shoots the coyote with his state-issued pistol and keeps jogging.
The governor spent 50 cents on a .380-caliber, hollow-point cartridge. Buzzards ate the dead coyote.
And that, my friends, is why California is flat broke and Texas is not.
The governor of California is walking with his dog along a nature trail. A coyote jumps out and attacks the governor’s dog, then bites the governor. The governor starts to intervene, but reflects upon the movie Bambi and then realizes he should stop because the coyote is only doing what is natural.
He calls animal control. Animal control captures the coyote and bills the state $200 for testing it for diseases and $500 for relocating it. He calls a veterinarian. The vet collects the dead dog and bills the state $200 for testing it for diseases. The governor goes to the hospital and spends $3,500 getting checked for diseases from the coyote and getting his bite wound bandaged.
The running trail gets shut down for six months while the California Fish and Game Department conducts a $100,000 survey to make sure the area is now free of dangerous animals. The governor spends $50,000 in state funds implementing a ‘coyote awareness program’ for residents of the area. The Legislature spends $2 million to study how to better treat rabies and how to permanently eradicate the disease throughout the world. The governor’s security agent is fired for not stopping the attack. The state spends $150,000 to hire and train a new agent with additional special training, re: the nature of coyotes. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) protests the coyote’s relocation and files a $5 million suit against the state.
The governor of Texas is wheeling along with his dog along a nature trail. A coyote jumps out and tries to attack him and his dog. The governor shoots the coyote with his state-issued pistol and keeps jogging.
The governor spent 50 cents on a .380-caliber, hollow-point cartridge. Buzzards ate the dead coyote.
And that, my friends, is why California is flat broke and Texas is not.
California's take on the election:
State Democrats say there’s plenty they can do short of leaving the U.S.
California’s Democrats Are Ready for Political War
Let the Calexit begin:
The "Yes California" campaign is backing an independence referendum in support of a
constitutional exit of the state from the United States.
The statement from Senate President pro Tempore Kevin de León
and Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon began:
Today, we woke up feeling like strangers in a foreign land, because yesterday
Americans expressed their views on a pluralistic and democratic society that
are clearly inconsistent with the values of the people of California.
“We’re going to do everything in our power to protect our people and our values.”
“Today, we woke up feeling like strangers in a foreign land, because yesterday Americans expressed
their views on a pluralistic and democratic society that are clearly inconsistent with the values of the
people of California,” they wrote. “We will lead the resistance to any effort that would shred our
social fabric or our Constitution.”
State Democrats say there’s plenty they can do short of leaving the U.S.
California’s Democrats Are Ready for Political War
Let the Calexit begin:
The "Yes California" campaign is backing an independence referendum in support of a
constitutional exit of the state from the United States.
The statement from Senate President pro Tempore Kevin de León
and Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon began:
Today, we woke up feeling like strangers in a foreign land, because yesterday
Americans expressed their views on a pluralistic and democratic society that
are clearly inconsistent with the values of the people of California.
“We’re going to do everything in our power to protect our people and our values.”
“Today, we woke up feeling like strangers in a foreign land, because yesterday Americans expressed
their views on a pluralistic and democratic society that are clearly inconsistent with the values of the
people of California,” they wrote. “We will lead the resistance to any effort that would shred our
social fabric or our Constitution.”
Um, actually this thread is full of facts. It wasn't long ago that California had a $30 billion deficit. I'm glad they are turning things around fiscally.
Now, if they'd turn things around socially, we'd really be on the right track.
Sadly, a lot of the California libtard nut-cakes have been moving to Texas, and we want them all to move back.
California's secession: Could Christmas come early for the rest of us?
By Ed Straker
In response to Donald's Trump's election, leftists are pushing a ballot measure in California which would lead to California withdrawing from the United States. As Mark Levin frequently says, "The left never gives up, whether it wins or loses an election!"
Given that, is it really impossible to see how California could unilaterally withdraw from the United States if liberals decide that it is in their best interest to do so?
And what a gift it would be for the rest of the country! California currently has 55 electoral votes. Candidates need 270 to become president.
Without California, Democrats would have to swing states deep in Republican territory. California has 53 congressmen, 39 of whom are liberals (40 if you count Kevin McCarthy). In a House of Representatives with 382 members, can you imagine the difficulty liberals would have getting a majority if they had to climb out of a net deficit of 39 members? That would make the departure of the two Democratic senators merely icing on the cake!
If California were no longer part of America, large clusters of illegal aliens there would not be Americans, either. A larger percentage of the country would speak English as their first language. After barricading the highways, the natural rugged terrain of Oregon, Nevada, and Arizona would help keep Californians out of our country.
As for the few regular Americans who live in California, not much would change. As I've written above, California ignores any federal laws it does not like anyway. The only difference is that through its disassociation with the United States, it would not be able to impose its views on the other 49 states.
What do you think? Would you be sad to lose California? Most of the major population centers – Los Angeles, San Francisco, Oakland, Los Angeles, even Orange County – are leftist now. The only relatively conservative part of the state is in parts of the Central Valley, and up north, but even the northern region is filled with tweakers. So what's to lose?
Ed Straker is the senior writer at NewsMachete.com.
By Ed Straker
In response to Donald's Trump's election, leftists are pushing a ballot measure in California which would lead to California withdrawing from the United States. As Mark Levin frequently says, "The left never gives up, whether it wins or loses an election!"
"Should California become a free, sovereign, and independent country?"
The question could appear on a statewide ballot in 2018 if a group of secessionists has its way.
Marcus Evans, the vice president of Yes California, filed a proposed ballot measure with the Attorney General's Office on Monday that would appear on the November 2018 gubernatorial ballot.
If voters approve the measure, it would establish a special election in March 2019 to ask voters again if they want California to become an independent country, Yes California wrote in a ballot measure filing.
More than half of the registered voters in the state must participate in the special election and at least 55 percent must vote "yes" for the proposal to move forward, according to information submitted by the group. If voters approve the measure, "the governor shall carry and shepherd an application for the newly independent Republic of California to join the United Nations," they say.
Evans said the group filed the ballot proposal in response to an uptick in support in a deep-blue state following the election of Donald Trump.
You may think, what does it matter? California can't unilaterally decide to withdraw from the Union. But you forget, there are two legal standards: one for conservatives and one for liberals. Conservatives are prosecuted if they choose to disregard laws or even regulations or court decisions on marriage being redefined to include same-sex couples, letting boys in girls' bathrooms, or voter ID nullification. But liberals are held to a very different standard. They create sanctuary cities in defiance of federal law without consequence. They also legalize narcotics, first timidly for "medical" use, then boldly for "recreational" use, despite prohibitions in federal law, and for decades they have suffered absolutely no penalty for it.The question could appear on a statewide ballot in 2018 if a group of secessionists has its way.
Marcus Evans, the vice president of Yes California, filed a proposed ballot measure with the Attorney General's Office on Monday that would appear on the November 2018 gubernatorial ballot.
If voters approve the measure, it would establish a special election in March 2019 to ask voters again if they want California to become an independent country, Yes California wrote in a ballot measure filing.
More than half of the registered voters in the state must participate in the special election and at least 55 percent must vote "yes" for the proposal to move forward, according to information submitted by the group. If voters approve the measure, "the governor shall carry and shepherd an application for the newly independent Republic of California to join the United Nations," they say.
Evans said the group filed the ballot proposal in response to an uptick in support in a deep-blue state following the election of Donald Trump.
Given that, is it really impossible to see how California could unilaterally withdraw from the United States if liberals decide that it is in their best interest to do so?
And what a gift it would be for the rest of the country! California currently has 55 electoral votes. Candidates need 270 to become president.
Without California, Democrats would have to swing states deep in Republican territory. California has 53 congressmen, 39 of whom are liberals (40 if you count Kevin McCarthy). In a House of Representatives with 382 members, can you imagine the difficulty liberals would have getting a majority if they had to climb out of a net deficit of 39 members? That would make the departure of the two Democratic senators merely icing on the cake!
If California were no longer part of America, large clusters of illegal aliens there would not be Americans, either. A larger percentage of the country would speak English as their first language. After barricading the highways, the natural rugged terrain of Oregon, Nevada, and Arizona would help keep Californians out of our country.
As for the few regular Americans who live in California, not much would change. As I've written above, California ignores any federal laws it does not like anyway. The only difference is that through its disassociation with the United States, it would not be able to impose its views on the other 49 states.
What do you think? Would you be sad to lose California? Most of the major population centers – Los Angeles, San Francisco, Oakland, Los Angeles, even Orange County – are leftist now. The only relatively conservative part of the state is in parts of the Central Valley, and up north, but even the northern region is filled with tweakers. So what's to lose?
Ed Straker is the senior writer at NewsMachete.com.
What State Is the Movie-Making Capital of the World? Hint: It’s Not California or New York
Sony Pictures Imageworks moving L.A. headquarters to Vancouver
How will we get to these movies!?!?
:think2:
Sony Pictures Imageworks moving L.A. headquarters to Vancouver
How will we get to these movies!?!?
:think2:
