Public Finance

Mayoral Candidate Wendy Greuel Picks Up Critical Support From L.A. County Labor Federation

Update below, 5:15 p.m. Full rundown of Garcetti and Greuel's remarks behind closed doors at the Fed today. Greuel: "I'm gonna stand with labor, not stand up to labor." Controller Wendy Greuel got a major lift this morning, as the political committee of the L.A. County Federation of Labor voted ... More >>

Proposition A Los Angeles Sales Tax Election Results: Voters Rejecting Tax Hike by Eight Points

Update, Wednesday morning: In a huge embarrassment for City Council President Herb Wesson and the City Hall establishment, voters resoundingly rejected the citywide sales tax hike, 55.17 percent to 44.82 percent. See details on next page. With additional reporting by Jill Stewart. Update, 12:40 PM: ... More >>

Proposition A Sales Tax Increase Will Slam Los Angeles Poor, Profs and Students Say at Protest

Please also read Proposition A Sales Tax Increase: Do People Trust the L.A. City Council? By David Stamp Los Angeles City College poli-sci teacher Salvador Sanchez says "Nobody has time for this but we have to do it" -- it being to ask L.A. voters to defeat Prop. A, a tax increase on the March 5 b ... More >>

Wendy Greuel Adds Another Public Sector Union, Picking Up Firefighters Endorsement

Update below: Eric Garcetti wins UTLA endorsement. L.A.'s public-sector employee unions continue to line up behind Wendy Greuel in the race for mayor.Greuel already has the backing of the L.A. Police Protective League and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local 18, which repr ... More >>

Sandra Fluke Headlines L.A. City Hall Rally For Increasing Taxes On Rich

Sandra Fluke, the activist Rush Limbaugh once called a prostitute because she said her Catholic law school, Georgetown, should offer free birth control for women, is in L.A. today. She's the headliner at a City Hall rally organized by a group called the Action. What do they want? An end to tax brea ... More >>

Mayor's Race: L.A. County Federation Of Labor Can't Decide Between Eric Garcetti and Wendy Greuel

The L.A. County Federation of Labor, one of the biggest sources of power in L.A. elections, has decided not to endorse in the first round of the L.A. mayor's race, according to multiple sources.Eric Garcetti and Wendy Greuel are the two candidates with the strongest labor support. But neither could ... More >>

Mitt Romney's La Jolla Beach House Site of Tax Protest Tomorrow

Updated at the bottom with photos of the action. First posted at 12:19 p.m. Friday. It was only a matter of time before Southern California Democrats descended on Mitt Romney's beach home in La Jolla: It's so close and yet so close. An L.A. labor coalition is planning a protest there Saturday to m ... More >>

Proposition 29 Cigarette Tax

Why it may fail in liberal California

The Scandal Roiling the L.A. County Assessor's Office Suggests Your Tax Bill Is All About Who You Know, and How Much You've Donated to Assessor John Noguez

Mark Cuban, Would-be Dodgers Owner, Says Idea of Higher Corporate Taxes Hindering Hiring is 'Nonsense'

Mark Cuban.​Mark Cuban, one of the billionaires named as a possible Dodgers' bidder (he has said the price was too high), is spoiling the trickle-down tax-break arguments of Republican lawmakers again. The Dallas Mavericks owner had previously sided with billionaire Warren Buffet in declaring ... More >>

Dennis Gilbert, Top Dodger Suitor, Got Rich Selling Tax Avoidance Schemes To The Super-Wealthy

Dennis Gilbert, insurance salesman​Now that Frank McCourt has agreed to sell the Dodgers, we can turn our attention to potential new owners for the team.The top contender is probably Dennis J. Gilbert. He's got a great story. He's a local guy, went to Gardena High School and L.A. City College. He ... More >>

L.A. County Federation Of Labor To Require Democratic Politicians to Clean Toilets And Change Bedpans

​The L.A. County Federation of Labor can make or break a politician's career. The Fed's endorsement brings an army of precinct walkers and door knockers, which can turn the tide in a local race. But now that endorsement is becoming harder to get. Under new requirements rolled out at Fed headquarte ... More >>

Richest Americans Saw 400 Percent Increase in Income, 40 Percent Decrease in Tax Rates, According to Calif. Sen. Boxer (It's Almost True)

yunguyen666​This whole class warfare thing is kind of cool. We haven't seen this much bloodlust among the masses since Apple introduced the iPhone 4. After President Obama proposed that millionaires and billionaires pay the same tax rate as working-class folks (sparking charges by the right t ... More >>

Millionaires Don't Pay Taxes? 1,470 of America's Richest Didn't, According to IRS

MatMA free ride for some millionaires?​Southern California has more millionaires than just about anywhere else in the nation, with L.A. coming in at No. 1, Orange County at No. 4, and San Diego ranking No. 6 in cities with the most seven-figure-plus households in 2008. So maybe we should feel ... More >>

Michele Bachmann, Tea Party Presidential Hopeful, Coming to Hostile Territory This Summer: Los Angeles

Bachmann is heading to L.A.​Nutcase Congresswoman and right-wing Quixote presidential hopeful Michele Bachmann will come to the land of sunshine, sin and sexual liberation (that's here) Sept. 16 for the California Republican Party Fall Convention downtown (which is actually happening in summer ... More >>

NFL Stadium Downtown Could Generate $41 Million a Year in Tax Revenue: LA Neighbors United Wants Cash Guarantee For Citizens

Go, tax revenue.​Are you ready for some ... tax revenue. Yeah, we're talkin' Monday night tax revenue, Sunday afternoon tax revenue, tax revenue all year 'round. That according to Anschutz Entertainment Group, the people who run Staples Center and who want to install an NFL stadium atop cit ... More >>

Illegal Immigrants Paid $2.7 Billion in Taxes in California Last Year

Banksy's 'Caution' warns of a taxpayer invasion.​As you nurse your tax-day hangover, we bring you news from the flip side. Despite what Lou Dobbs might have told you, turns out illegal immigrants do pay taxes. Lots of them. The Immigration Policy Center, citing the Institute for Taxation and ... More >>

Tax Day Blues: Super Rich Pay Low Tax Rate; Some, Like the Dodgers' McCourts, Don't Pay at All

Frank McCourt is poorer than you (on paper).​Ah, tax day. Don't let the complicated line items and nonsensical deductions get you down. That's all gravy compared to this fact: Nearly half of U.S. households don't even pay income taxes. And the super rich are paying less than they did a few y ... More >>

Councilwoman Janice Hahn Gets Labor Fed Endorsement In Congressional Race

Janice Hahn​As predicted, L.A. Councilwoman Janice Hahn picked up the endorsement today of the L.A. County Federation of Labor, a big boost for her congressional campaign.Hahn is running against Secretary of State Debra Bowen, anti-war activist Marcy Winograd, and three Republicans in the May 17 s ... More >>

Bill Clinton Rallies College Students For Jerry Brown At UCLA

Ted SoquiJerry Brown addresses a rally at UCLA, flanked by Gavin Newsom and Bill Clinton​Not long ago, Jerry Brown listened to an old presidential debate between himself and Bill Clinton."It was very acrimonious," Brown said on Thursday. "I landed some very good punches and so did he."Brown said t ... More >>

Bell's City Money Used 'Like A Petty Cash Drawer' By Officials, Says State Controller John Chiang

Robert Rizzo.​ Updated after the jump with postponement of arraignment for defendants. First posted at 10:51 a.m. Those eight arrests of Bell city officials Tuesday weren't for nothing, if you ask the state's top budget man, John Chiang. The state controller released an audit of Bell's financ ... More >>

Los Angeles County Cities Have Highest Sales Taxes In The State, Including 10.75 Percent In Pico Rivera And South Gate

Slices of Light via Flickr​Updated after the jump with comments from the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce's CEO, who says high sales taxes could hurt car sales. Originally posted at 1:38 p.m. Eleven cents on the dollar in sales tax? Believe that. As five California cities, including two in Sou ... More >>

Bell City Council Agrees To Roll Back Property Taxes After $3 Million In Overcharges Revealed

John Chiang.​The Bell City Council early Tuesday voted to roll-back its property tax rate after state controller John Chiang discovered that the municipality had overcharged residents by $3 million over the last three years. The vote came in the a.m. after the council met for a marathon Monda ... More >>

Feds, State Bust Up Massive Alleged L.A. ... Tobacco Ring? Yep, Tobacco.

​Retro: State and federal authorities up and down California and over to Vegas have busted up a big non-cigarette tobacco ring that allegedly avoided paying taxes -- $35 million in California excise taxes. A bevy of state and federal agencies were involved in the three-year investigation, rac ... More >>

Luis Rodriguez Ortega Files For Tax Refunds In The Names Of Several Puerto Ricans, Gets 57 Months Behind Bars

​A man who filed tax returns under the names of several Puerto Ricans in order to reap $5 million in refunds was sentenced this week to 57 months in federal prison, the U.S. Attorney's Office announced Tuesday. Downey resident Luis Rodriguez Ortega, 35, was also ordered to pay more than $780, ... More >>

Culver City Hotel Tax Might Go Up; Hoteliers Not Happy

​In an effort to raise nearly $500,000 annually, Culver City officials are seeking to raise the hotel tax from 12 percent to 14 percent, according to the Los Angeles Wave. If approved by voters, the proposed tax would be phased in, with the rate raising one percent over each of the next two ye ... More >>

Bill Would End Tax Loopholes Under Prop. 13 For California Businesses

Assemblyman Tom Ammiano.​Liberal San Francisco Assemblyman Tom Ammiano, the man behind a legislative proposal to legalize marijuana, wants to close some of the loopholes in state tax law that have allowed some businesses to change hands without being reassessed for rising property values and c ... More >>

Breaking: L.A. City To Run Out Of Money By May 5 (Updated)

Wendy Greuel.​Los Angeles City Controller Wendy Greuel said Monday that the city will be run out of money by May 5 partly as a result of the Department of Water and Power's refusal to hand over a promised payment to the general fund of $73 million. "The question I have been asked most often d ... More >>

Amid Budget Crisis, Some L.A. City Employees Get Raises

​No, we're not talking about the two- to four-percent raises given to some Department of Water and Power workers late last year as the City Council knew the budget crisis was looming. Rather, a handful of employees who transferred to the DWP in order to save their jobs and shave money off the ... More >>

Controller Wants City Council To Stop Hoarding Millions

Wendy Greuel.​City Controller Wendy Greuel plans to release an audit Wednesday showing that the City Council has reaped $25 million for its discretionary funds from the sale of city property and from oil pipeline franchise fees collected over the last 12 years. As the city faces a $400 $200 mi ... More >>

L.A. Country Club Pays Ultra Low Property Tax Rate; Faces Possible Review

​The Los Angeles Country Club, protected under Prop. 13 limits and loopholes, pays an ultra-low rate of about $200,000 a year in property taxes based on 313 acres of prime Westside property that could be worth nearly $20 billion or even more if it were developed, according to the Garment & Cit ... More >>

City of Los Angeles' Credit Rating Gets Dinged

​The city of Los Angeles' credit rating was downgraded on Tuesday by Fitch Rating, which cited an expected budget deficit that would amount to nearly one-tenth of revenue next year. According to Bloomberg, the lowered score covers nearly $3 billion in debt. And, although that might not be muc ... More >>

New CA Budget Cuts Williamson Act Funding, May Affect Local Farmers

As you probably know by now, last week, after a long political stalemate, the Governor finally signed a new California budget, but not before slashing another $489 million to create what we home budgeters might call "a cushion." Along with more cuts to K-12 and higher education, child welfare servic ... More >>

Property Tax Fraud: Offer of Free Money Wasn't Sincere!

Looks like some very clever property tax scamsters are still active in L.A. -- but are only now spreading out to Northern California. Just before their spring property taxes were due, many Angelenos received an official-looking mailing from something called Property Tax Reassessment, based in Los An ... More >>

Clueless California Voters Fail IQ Test

You gotta love the brilliant decision by the respected polling group, Public Policy Institute of California, to once again sneak in subtle test questions of California residents while asking them to opine on everything from whether we should borrow from the Lottery (voters say No) to whether Schwarz ... More >>

Voter Guide: the Pros and Cons of the Initiatives, February 5 Ballot

Making sense of the issues

Better Than Phone Tax

Villaraigosa makes a Lazarus play to keep alive a pricey, illegal tax on residents

Reversing Brain Waves

That’s all Phil Angelides has to do to unseat Arnold

No New Tax Cuts

By the Numbers

A Statistical Guide to Rental Los Angeles

Bush Wins the Air War

Big Media gets rewards for good behavior

Condom Wars

New guidelines gut HIV prevention — and endanger young people’s lives

The Great Race

25 cars, no drivers, racing toward Las Vegas for a $1 million prize — and the future of the U.S. military

No New Taxes

Except on students

Desperately Seeking Balance

Legislators stumble in their search for budget solutions

Doomsday Plans

Latino legislators ready to take on Gray Davis and his proposed social-service cuts

Where’s the Rest of It?

The Democrats’ curiously incomplete election-year program

One-Trick Party

In war and peace, Republicans replenish the rich

The Big Heist

Bush plan taxes decency, candor and virtue — but lays off the rich

Letters