In a state where thousands of properties have been threatened and continue to be threatened, California is in desperate need of meaningful eminent domain reform that will respect the rights and property of its residents. The preceding legal overview in California demonstrates just how difficult it is for private property owners to defend themselves against California’s redevelopment machine, which siphons billions and billions of dollars into a closed economic system that benefits private parties and hurts not only property owners, but all taxpayers as well.

California’s “newly elected Superintendent of Public Instruction, Tom Torlakson, declared a state of ‘financial emergency’ for California’s schools earlier this month and asked state residents to come to the aid of the state’s public education system. “ Mr. Torlakson  moaned about class sizes increasing as school budgets have been squeezed but his rant ignored the fact that California teachers are the second highest paid in the nation.  Were California’s average teacher salary move over time to the 15^th highest position (still in the top 1/3 nationwide), student / teacher ratios would improve over 20%.

I asked Mr. Torlakson about this at Governor Jerry Brown’s “Budget Briefing” at UCLA last month.   One of the Governor’s presentation slides showed that California Teachers are at the top of the pay scale at an AVERAGE salary of $68,000 BEFORE BENEFITS & RICH PENSIONS COSTS.   Watch below and see his response…

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In what is becoming a perennial affair, the California budget deficit is projected to be over $21 billion in the coming year – including a $6 billion hangover from this year.  With the same degree of regularity, in pursuit of stable education funding (a good idea), educators in California are calling for tax rate increases (a bad idea) and blaming Republican legislators for blocking those increases (an unproductive idea).   Rather than call for more tax rate increases – one of the causes of our current problems –educators should call for policies that will increase private sector jobs so we have more people paying taxes – not less.

At first blush, it may be hard to believe that we have another deficit.  After all, in 2008, expenditures were far in excess of $100 billion.   Expenditures for the upcoming fiscal year were just over $90 billion.  With all that cutting, shouldn’t we have a balanced budget?  The answer is no – because budgets are a two-part equation: deficit/surplus = spending – revenues.  In California’s case, revenues have plummeted faster than expenditures – and continue to do so at a perilous rate.  Worse yet, California’s Legislative Analysts Office projects huge deficits for years to come.

Nevertheless, Democrats and many educators are calling for ever more tax rate increases in a dangerous game of economic roulette with California jobs.  Keep in mind that California already has the 6^th highest tax rate in the Country.  Why not shoot for number #1?  Three reasons:

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