Pension reform is especially urgent now.

At your request: This week's California Commentary by Jon Coupal
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** California Commentary
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** The locusts come out at election time
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By Jon Coupal

The deadline for local governments to place tax hikes on the November ballot is rapidly approaching. This is why political consultants have descended like locusts on city councils, county boards of supervisors and school boards pitching their services. Their objective? Fool, er, convince, voters to approve even higher levels of taxation.

These consultants are nothing if not slick and very convincing. They also use taxpayer dollars to engage in so-called “informational” campaigns explaining to the public why their city, county or school needs more money, whether they do or not.

Here’s how it works. Consulting firms specializing in tax measures engage in aggressive advertising pitching their services directly to local governments or through associations such as the League of California Cities or the California School Boards Association. If they get a bite from a jurisdiction, they claim to be able to do a “feasibility” study to test voters’ receptiveness to a tax hike. But these surveys are often loaded with questions designed to elicit support for the desired outcome (e.g. Do you think education is important?).

Armed with “data” showing that tax increases could pass voter approval, the consultants then engage in “outreach” to organizations and interests that might benefit from tax hike increases, such as public sector unions and construction companies. The jurisdiction even begins to engage in direct mail campaigns that are designed to build good will with voters. These might be glossy fliers with photos of police or fire personnel.

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Click here to listen to this week's Howard Jarvis Podcast, "HJTA's Primary Ballot" ([link removed]) The Howard Jarvis Podcast features HJTA President Jon Coupal and VP of Communications Susan Shelley with a lively conversation that takes you inside California government in a way that's fun, interesting and sometimes scary. Check out all the recent podcasts by clicking here: [link removed]
A note to our valued members and supporters: To increase the reach of our message to as many Californians as possible, HJTA made an agreement with the Southern California News Group papers to carry Jon Coupal's weekly column. The newspapers in the group, including the Orange County Register and the Los Angeles Daily News, have added a paywall that allows only a limited number of page views per month, and then asks readers to become subscribers. HJTA is not marketing these subscriptions or receiving any payment from them. The columns are exclusive to SCNG's papers for one week and then are posted in full on HJTA's own website, www.hjta.org ([link removed]) , under "California Commentaries," where you can read them at your convenience, or read Jon's column online in all the SCNG papers at these links:
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Jon Coupal is the President of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association (HJTA). He is a recognized expert in California fiscal affairs and has argued numerous tax cases before the courts.
HJTA always appreciates the support of its members, if it doesn't pose a hardship. Your donations help us fight to protect Proposition 13 and all California taxpayers.
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