In the News - Earlier today (August 20, 2012) San Diego found California Governor Brown in town peddled his tax measure to raise $6 billion annually for education and other services.

Flanked by local educators, parents and students, Brown cast his Proposition 30 as a seminal choice between raising levies on millionaires or allowing drastic cuts to education and public safety.

Proposition 30 would raise money for schools, public safety and other services by increasing the sales tax a quarter-cent for five years and hiking income taxes on a sliding scale for seven years on those making more than $250,000 a year.

Opponents of the measure contend the governor offers a false choice between hiking taxes or cutting education spending. Brown’s critics including business and taxpayer interests argue that more responsible stewardship of state finances would better meet the challenges presented by a multi-billion budget gap.

Most of the money raised by Proposition 30 would go to avoiding $5 billion in midyear cuts to K-12 schools and further reductions in higher education. It also would guarantee a minimum amount of funding to counties for the increased costs of assuming responsibility for more state prisoners and parolees.