Greg12 posted:

put it all directly into calpers because any surplus this government turns is underpayment on pensions

quote:

The magnitude of the cash payments is breathtaking, even in a state where government programs often come with multibillion-dollar price tags. (For some context, the stimulus program could end up costing about 90% of what state officials in January said it would cost to operate California’s prisons for the fiscal year.)

But there’s a fascinating backstory, as the new money being announced by Newsom on Monday is pretty much what the state is required to do under a law approved by voters in 1979.
Gann’s limit, cash for Californians

Paul Gann‘s sales pitch that year was simple: Don’t let politicians undermine Proposition 13.

Angered by local and state officials’ efforts to replace the dollars lost to the 1978 tax cut he crafted with anti-tax crusader Howard Jarvis, Gann returned the following year with Proposition 4, a ballot measure to limit government spending.

“Let government trim their sails and get rid of the fat,” Gann said in an Aug. 15, 1979, profile in The Times. “We’re picking up where 13 left off!”

Voters resoundingly agreed that November — in part, perhaps, because Gann’s ballot measure also required a tax rebate when revenues outpaced spending on taxpayer-funded programs. The provision has been triggered only once in the law’s 42-year history, resulting in a $1.1-billion rebate in 1987.

Until this month, that is.

Newsom administration officials say a still-growing tax windfall has spilled over the so-called “Gann limit” on state spending. In January, the spillover was estimated at $102 million over a two-year period. This week, Newsom will announce the excess cash that can’t be spent under regular budget rules is an astounding $16 billion.

Only half of that is going back to Californians as a tax rebate, branded by Newsom as part of his Golden State Stimulus program. That’s because critics of Gann’s law tucked changes to it inside two voter-approved ballot measures in 1988 and 1990. One change requires that excess cash be equally divided between taxpayers and public schools. So we would expect to see an $8-billion boost, as well, to K-12 schools and community colleges in the budget plan rolled out later this week.

Boot and Rally posted:

If Newsom survives the recall he better raise my taxes.

FCKGW posted:

FMguru posted:

I'd take 2020 census numbers with a grain or two of salt, because it was clear that the Trump administration was intentionally undercounting minority groups and blue states generally.

e: Whoops, never mind, those aren't 2020-2010 census comparisons.

sb hermit posted:

My money is on people moving back to home states or other states where housing is cheaper, and renting out their CA homes to help avoid the salt tax cap and continue speculation in the real estate market.

Which may explain why rents are imploding but housing supply is still very limited.

Cup Runneth Over posted:

Hope Newsom does what Biden did and sends everyone a letter through the California revenue service reminding them that he gave them the money.

Cicero posted:

If you don't need to go into ~*~the office~*~ then you lose one of the advantages of being in the city proper, which is a shorter commute. So the suburbs become relatively more attractive.

That, plus if you're working remote, it becomes very handy to have more space for a home office.

Skippy McPants posted:

Trump sent a letter and put his name on the actual checks.

BeAuMaN posted:

I got one of those IRS Campaign Letters; found it pretty skeevy.

BeAuMaN posted:

I go outside and my mailbox is closed, with the letter containing the card just laying in the dirt in front of it. Shameful, USPS can't get that stuff in my mailbox. I think we're serviced by a postal contractor iirc.

Greg12 posted:

and yet trump got me an actual check that I traded for actual dollars instead of

a gift card with $5 transaction fees

"poo poo I better go find something that costs exactly $1,395"

FilthyImp posted:

Weird, I thought the IRS was in charge of that decision, for expediency, as soon as the 2nd stimulus and for very late 1st stimulus payments.

Please tell us more about Domald Trump handing you a giant novelty check and shaking your hand.

I think everyone agreed the means testing was a waste of time, for what it's worth.

Skippy McPants posted:

And for the record, I agree that it's crass to send a letter but it's also good politics.

But on the list of oily things politicians do to raise their public standing it's waaaay down there.

Skippy McPants posted:

Trump sent a letter and put his name on the actual checks.

FilthyImp posted:

gently caress that noise.

Trump *delayed* issuing checks so he could get his loving name on them. The letter he sent was from the office of the white house, had his huge idiot signature on it, and was basically "look, I'm sending you money, me, Dernald Trimp, am great".

Biden sent a letter through the IRS explaining the stimulus plan he had passed.

FilthyImp posted:

Lol blame the lovely outsourcer not usps. Christ.

Greg12 posted:

and yet trump got me an actual check that I traded for actual dollars instead of

a gift card with $5 transaction fees

"poo poo I better go find something that costs exactly $1,395"

BeAuMaN posted:

Hopefully whatever California does with their payments will be better.

Centrist Committee posted:

I put my Trump check on my fridge because that was hilarious.

FilthyImp posted:

CA EDD issues payments through BoA debit cards, btw.

droll posted:

Well look at Richie Rich here, just laughing at money on their fridge instead of giving it to someone that needs it. Hilarious

droll posted:

Well look at Richie Rich here, just laughing at money on their fridge instead of giving it to someone that needs it. Hilarious

Skippy McPants posted:

Trump sent a letter and put his name on the actual checks.

a.lo posted:

https://twitter.com/thehill/status/1392455789315563523?s=20
why lie about something like voting that just took place 6 months ago

adoration for none posted:

Maybe she's doing all this to boost ratings for Keeping Up with the Kardashians, or perhaps being near those people causes you to run the worst political campaigns (see Kanye and Trump).

Man the world would be an objectively better place if reality TV never existed

FilthyImp posted:

They're reportedly ending the show this year.

But likely so they can skip out on the KimYe drama and come back to "reboot" it for Kardashian: Gen K


It's amazing how Jenner had a whole journey of self discovery that ended with the same lovely, hosed-up biases they had pre-transition.

Shear Modulus posted:

https://twitter.com/cmarinucci/status/1389627480823111680?s=20

DrSunshine posted:

Not that it's relevant to the current election, but I do wonder what would happen if the recall succeeded, but no candidate had a clear lead? Like, what if the voters had "yes" to the recall, but every other candidate had like 10% or less? Would the top plurality become governor?

Wicked Them Beats posted:

Yeah it's whoever has the most votes. There's no runoff mechanic for the top two or anything, so if someone has 10% and everyone else has 9.9% then the person with 10% is the new governor.

DrSunshine posted:

That's moronic. I love our huge dumb state.