Orange County Taxpayers Association

Last but certainly not least is our Royalty Award Winner. Unlike our roses and radishes which are usually earned for events that occurred the previous year, the Royalty Award is more of a lifetime achievement award. This year's winner is Mr. Jon Coupal from the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association. Jon has led Howard Jarvis first as legal adviser, then as President since 1991. He has been a part of countless groundbreaking legal challenges and ballot initiatives, altogether saving the taxpayer an estimated $4 billion! Join me in offering our congratulations and our thanks on behalf of the taxpayers to Mr. Jon Coupal!

What we need at the local level is fiscal restraint, not a dramatic increase in government spending on pensions, salaries and benefits... great read.

Our final Rose Award winner is the Disneyland Resort. With a continued focus on their California operations, the Disneyland Resort announced this year a successful agreement, after many years of working together with the city, on their new project, DisneylandForward. For this project, Disney will invest at least $1.9 billion over the next 10 years create new rides, shops, restaurants, and entertainment and hotels. In addition to the economic growth and job creation, Disneyland Resorts will offer benefits for the city such as, $30 million for affordable housing, $8 million for parks, and more! Congratulations to the Disneyland Resort.

Our next Radish Award winner goes to the City of La Habra for their tax increase measure! In a recent post by the Chamber of Commerce, they outline how the City Council unanimously passed a measure which extended the sales tax, removed the sunset date (they currently have), and allowed only 72 hours for public comment on the proposal. For the sales tax increase, the corresponding increase in spending, the lack of transparency and accountability, the City of La Habra earns a Radish Award for their Measure V!

Have you heard reports on the news saying 'today is the last day to register to vote?' Just a friendly reminder that every state has different rules/regulations surrounding voting. CA's deadline is 10/21! You can register, change parties, update your address, etc. For more info, always check: www.ocvote.org or www.sos.ca.gov

Our next "Rose Award" winner fights the good fight on issues most business owners aren't even aware of until after they've won the battle! The California Chamber of Commerce along with the Fix PAGA coalition, representing non-profits, social justice advocates, family farmers, health care providers and businesses, brokered an agreement to reform California’s broken Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA). A recent report found that since 2013 there have been nearly $10 billion in PAGA court case awards, but due to significant attorney fees, workers receive only a small portion of these awards. PAGA hurts virtually every industry and employer in California, including non-profits, local governments, family-run businesses and others. While that may seem like an in-the-weeds kind of issue, by expanding workers rights and simultaneously ensuring that only bad actors are punished, this coalition delivered a win-win for workers and business. OC Tax was proud to support the coalition's efforts and we are proud to honor the coalition's members and especially the California Chamber of Commerce for their efforts to reform PAGA.

As we continue to roll out our 2024 award winners, we wanted to share some of our favorite photos from last year!

Everyone's favorite regulatory agency, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) is the next Radish Award recipient. According to the California Policy Center's study, "CARB is empowered to adopt a schedule of fees on every “mobile and stationary source” of greenhouse gas operating in the state, from small watercraft to diesel trucks and railroad locomotives. The process of applying for a license from CARB to operate a mobile or stationary source is complicated, the process of gaining approval is complicated, and even the process of making the obligatory payments is complicated. And if the owner of the equipment in question does not successfully navigate this gauntlet, enforcement is swift, the fines are steep, and the appeals process is…complicated." CARB is famous (or infamous) for burdensome regulations that threaten to put small business owners out of commission, such a as the beloved local Balboa Island Ferry. For these reasons and countless more, we believe that CARB deserves a Radish Award!

Our next award goes to...the Transportation Corridor Agencies. (TCA) The TCA Boards of Directors approved a fiscal management component within the plan to execute upon early bond principal paydowns of approximately $600 million, through 2029, resulting in the Agencies saving approximately $670 million in interest. To date, the Agencies’ early paydown program has decreased outstanding principal by $335 million from early repayment of bonds. Since 2019, this early paydown of principal, along with interest savings of approximately $1.05 billion, combine for a future debt service reduction of $1.39 billion. At OC Tax we are big fans of early paydowns, reducing principal (and interest) where possible and private finance over increased burden on the taxpayers! Congrats to the Toll Roads!

Happy Monday! What better time to announce our first Radish Award winner than first thing Monday morning! If you're not familiar with our annual event, the Rose Award goes to those who are good stewards of the taxpayer dollars, and the Radish Award goes to those who could have done better. Our first Radish Award goes to Measure FF in Santa Ana. In case you missed it, Measure FF increases the salary for councilmembers by almost 600%! We hope taxpayers reject Measure FF and remind the city that this is a part-time position for which they already receive a salary, benefits and a car allowance. For this proposal, the City of Santa Ana earns a Radish for Measure FF.