Capitol Alert: AM Alert: Catch up on Think Long's California tax overhaul

Capitol Alert

The latest on California politics and government

November 21, 2011

AM Alert: Catch up on Think Long's California tax overhaul

The Think Long Committee for California is rolling out a sweeping proposal for fixing the Golden State, and it includes overhauling the tax system.

• Read the full Think Long report here. (draft obtained by the Bee)

It's no small change. Californians would pay sales tax on all services except health care and education starting in July 2013, as The Bee's Torey Van Oot and Kevin Yamamura explained in Sunday's Bee.

The big name, bipartisan coalition also hopes to put a constitutional amendment on the ballot that would set up an independent state commission tasked with long-term planning. Think Long officially unveils its 22-page proposal this morning.

In other news, California Finance Director Ana Matosantos is scheduled for arraignment this afternoon in Sacramento Superior Court. Matosantos, who isn't expected to appear, was arrested near the Capitol late last month on suspicion of driving under the influence.

Assemblyman Roger Dickinson, meanwhile, challenged his colleagues and other Capitol denizens last month to a duel of sorts: Could they collect more canned food for charity than a bunch of fifth-graders?

Fifth-graders can't drive, but it turns out they can run a can drive.

The Sacramento Democrat announced last week that Capitol folks managed to collect 1,951 cans, to be exact. But students from Bannon Creek Elementary School, Leonardo da Vinci School and Theodore Judah Elementary School did far better, collecting 5,031.

Let's see ... 1,951 plus 5,031 equals 6,982. All of them go to Operation Gobble, a local program that delivers turkeys to families in need.

About Comments

Reader comments on Sacbee.com are the opinions of the writer, not The Sacramento Bee. If you see an objectionable comment, click the "report abuse" button below it. We will delete comments containing inappropriate links, obscenities, hate speech, and personal attacks. Flagrant or repeat violators will be banned. See more about comments here.

What You Should Know About Comments on Sacbee.com

Sacbee.com is happy to provide a forum for reader interaction, discussion, feedback and reaction to our stories. However, we reserve the right to delete inappropriate comments or ban users who can't play nice. (See our full terms of service here.)

Here are some rules of the road:

• Keep your comments civil. Don't insult one another or the subjects of our articles. If you think a comment violates our guidelines click the "report abuse" button to notify the moderators. Responding to the comment will only encourage bad behavior.

• Don't use profanities, vulgarities or hate speech. This is a general interest news site. Sometimes, there are children present. Don't say anything in a way you wouldn't want your own child to hear.

• Do not attack other users; focus your comments on issues, not individuals.

• Stay on topic. Only post comments relevant to the article at hand. If you want to discuss an issue with a specific user, click on his profile name and send him a direct message.

• Do not copy and paste outside material into the comment box.

• Don't repeat the same comment over and over. We heard you the first time.

• Do not use the commenting system for advertising. That's spam and it isn't allowed.

• Don't use all capital letters. That's akin to yelling and not appreciated by the audience.

You should also know that The Sacramento Bee does not screen comments before they are posted. You are more likely to see inappropriate comments before our staff does, so we ask that you click the "report abuse" button to submit those comments for moderator review. You also may notify us via email at feedback@sacbee.com. Note the headline on which the comment is made and tell us the profile name of the user who made the comment. Remember, comment moderation is subjective. You may find some material objectionable that we won't and vice versa.

If you submit a comment, the user name of your account will appear along with it. Users cannot remove their own comments once they have submitted them, but you may ask our staff to retract one of your comments by sending an email to feedback@sacbee.com. Again, make sure you note the headline on which the comment is made and tell us your profile name.

blog comments powered by Disqus

FOLLOW US | Get more from sacbee.com | Follow us on Twitter | Become a fan on Facebook | Get news in your inbox | View our mobile versions | e-edition: Print edition online | What our bloggers are saying