Today's WSJ has an instructive piece (link here and attached) about the power of persistence. The key words: One thing missing from the article is a reference to how little need be spent by those with constant presences in DC relative to the rewards they reap (OpenSecrets.org is a good source for that info). It's … Continue reading Value Investing In Politics
Category: Calls to Action – Citizens
Taxes And Persistence
On Taxes: Few things bother us more than folks who write us about an objectionable piece of legislation but don't get in the trenches with us. Tax increases such as AB 2088, about which the WSJ has an opinion piece today, really get them going. GFC leads the efforts to kill such bills and to … Continue reading Taxes And Persistence
David Chiu and Luz Rivas
CA State Assemblymembers David Chiu and Luz Rivas were early supporters of our nurse practitioner bill, helped stop a bill targeting Teach For America, are potential supporters of retirement and education reforms, and are better for GFC than Sanders-backed opponents in their left-leaning districts. But also they co-authored a noxious tax increase bill that GFC … Continue reading David Chiu and Luz Rivas
Political Value Investing By Tesla
It may not surprise you to learn that Tesla has been the recipient of millions of dollars of subsidies and regulatory benefits from California. But it may surprise you to learn those rewards haven't taken much political investment from Tesla. Eg, from2017 to 2020, Tesla contributed just $305,000 to California legislators, no single contribution exceeding … Continue reading Political Value Investing By Tesla
Times-a-Changin’ In Sacramento
GFC has climbed the chart that matters in Sacramento: We have to climb higher and stay forever. That's because of what happens when the general interest isn't represented in Sacramento. Eg: Celeste will contact GFC members in early January to seek your financial support for 2021. She has to raise at least $3 million for … Continue reading Times-a-Changin’ In Sacramento
Help Wanted
Now that I'm on Twitter I follow some folks who occasionally comment about California. Today I saw this tweet by a VC I don't personally know who has a significant following: I replied as follows: I haven't seen a response but it's still early on the west coast (presently I'm on the east coast). If … Continue reading Help Wanted
Liberating Occupied California
Yesterday a GFCer wrote me to encourage immediate action on pension reform. In response I wrote, We don't expect pension reform to happen any time soon and certainly not before OPEB [retiree health insurance subsidies] reform, which we will attempt in 2021 with at best 50/50 odds of success. That doesn't mean we aren't working … Continue reading Liberating Occupied California
Crush The Bill, Not The Legislator
In 2016 we helped Bill Dodd win election to the State Senate. In 2019 he introduced a terrible bill to require a public transit worker on autonomous public transportation vehicles. We successfully led the opposition to the bill . . . and we continue to support Dodd, who is better than alternatives from his district, … Continue reading Crush The Bill, Not The Legislator
Liberation Funding At Work
Yesterday, former California Speaker Willie Brown wrote what every insider knows: "[US Speaker Nancy Pelosi] is one hell of a fundraiser, and that is what the speaker’s job is all about." That's what our job is all about too, but the objective of our fundraising is to liberate legislators of any stripe to serve the … Continue reading Liberation Funding At Work
Direct-To-Citizen Information
We are starting to wonder if some journalists are viewing different state and local records than we are. Last week it was an article in the New York Times containing an unsupported assertion reported as fact, then the Los Angeles Times didn’t question an assertion by a LA Councilman about that city’s budget, then CALMatters omitted reference to state … Continue reading Direct-To-Citizen Information