The 'third rail' of California politics
On March 1, students under the banner of Occupy Education came to Sacramento for a day of action, calling on the governor and the Legislature to fully fund education. Since state funding for education has declined by 42 percent over the last decade, the students were angry. With a recent article showing that a freshman at CSU would pay more per year than at Harvard, they have every reason to be. The most direct cause for the loss of education funding is a tax system that makes no sense. As a result we are losing the California that we worked so hard for the last 40 years to create that offered educational opportunities for all of its residents.
Tom Ammiano Weighs In on Masonic Traffic Calming, Urges MTA to Adopt "Option C"
Tom Ammiano, California Assemblymember from the 13th District, urged the Municipal Transportation Agency (MTA) to adopt the currently-named Option C to transform Masonic Avenue into a livable corridor to benefit all. In a September 23 letter to Javad Mirabdal, MTA project manager, Ammiano noted that the street has been "long overdue for improvements" and "the recent tragic death of Yannick Linke has brought new attention to the dangers of Masonic Avenue."
Ammiano suggested that a full package of traffic calming measures for Masonic could have the same kind of impact found in other areas of the city.
Letters to the editor
The first story I see is, "PG&E planned to replace pipe nearby; Utility got rate increase in 2007 to pay for work never done."
So, why is PG&E even discussing another rate increase for what their insurance won't cover when they don't use the money already given to fix pipes that should be fixed or updated to begin with? Is anyone else with me here?
Assemblymember Tom Ammiano and State Senator Mark Leno: Time to right inequities created by Prop. 13
Like most Americans, Californians are angry. They have every reason to be.
One million Californians have lost their jobs since 2008. Two million California families have lost their homes to foreclosure. And California families collectively have lost an estimated $600 billion in their homes' value.
Ammiano carries bill to amend Prop. 13 rules
With California mired in a budget crisis, some lawmakers are eyeing revisions to Proposition 13, the state's landmark law limiting property-tax increases, considered the untouchable third rail of California politics.
Assemblyman Tom Ammiano, D-San Francisco, is sponsoring legislation that he said would stop commercial property owners from evading higher taxes when businesses change hands, a practice that he said deprives cash-strapped cities and counties of hundreds of millions of dollars.
SF Gate: Why district elections?
In 1996, a ballot initiative establishing district elections passed overwhelmingly, winning in 24 of San Francisco's 25 neighborhoods. The measure, which took effect in 2001, was endorsed by the Democratic and Republican parties.
That sort of consensus is rare, especially when it comes to issues of governance.
BART police need civilian oversight
Amid the drama of the state budget, the BART union negotiations and the threat of a possible BART strike, it can be easy to forget that it has now been more than six months since the fatal shooting of Oscar Grant on New Year's Day by a BART police officer. The tragic shooting set off a series of community demonstrations that were only further enflamed by BART's inept initial response to the event, calling into question BART's internal policies. The death of Grant was an acknowledgment that BART police need independent, civilian oversight as exists for other law enforcement agencies in the Bay Area.
The Fair Elections Now Act Would Make Congress Accountable to Citizens Rather than Large Campaign Contributors
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P.O. Box 942849
Sacramento, CA 94249-0013
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San Francisco, CA 94102
Phone (415) 557-3013
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