California’s roads are crumbling. Reports routinely show our state has some of the poorest pavement conditions in the country, with high-tax liberal strongholds of San Francisco and Oakland leading the way. The culprit? Misplaced spending priorities. If you spilled your latte when hitting that huge...

For the third time in state history, California voters will be faced with the question of legalizing marijuana for recreational use. The official ballot summary for Proposition 64 says the measure could generate up to $1 billion in new tax revenue annually for state and local governments. Only time will...

California residents who have filed their income tax returns by April 18 must wait a little longer to breathe a sigh of relief: even after mailing their tax forms, Californians still have 12 more days until they’ve collectively earned enough money to pay off their total tax bill for the year. Calculated...

George Runner Senator George Runner is encouraging lawmakers to focus on investing money into local roads instead of public transportation. “I take public transit, but I hate it,” says a student intern who works in my downtown Sacramento office. In a perfect world, there would be nothing...

George Runner Board of Equalization Vice Chair George Runner issued the following statement regarding a BOE staff proposal to cut the excise tax on gasoline by 2.2 cents per gallon for the 2016-17 fiscal year, effective July 1. “Californians overpaid gas tax last year due to a bizarre and complex...

George Runner California Forward, a political reform group, recently invited Californians to take a “Revenue Challenge.” The challenge consists of an online survey where participants can rate how more than a dozen legislative proposals-mostly aimed at raising taxes-meet a set of criteria...

George Runner As Vice Chair of the California State Board of Equalization, I regularly hear from small business owners who are caught off guard by tax liabilities. This isn’t surprising given the complexity of California’s tax laws. Even the most well-meaning, knowledgeable business owner...

George Runner California lawmakers are finally considering legislation to regulate medical marijuana, which has been legal under state law for nearly two decades. Among the proposals is a bill calling for an excise tax on marijuana that could raise nearly $60 million in revenue each year. As a fiscal...

George Runner If a recent study to determine the safety of 29 state-owned buildings tells us anything, it’s that the state is a terrible landlord. In fact, it may be time for government to get out of the building-owning business. It shouldn’t take an act of the Legislature to get the state...

George Runner Call me a conspiracy theorist, but something is rotten with road funding in California. Sacramento is flush with billions in unanticipated revenue. Yet a record $115 billion budget spending plan signed by Gov. Jerry Brown shortchanges the state’s transportation and infrastructure...