CALIFORNIA PERFORMANCE REVIEW. Making government work better and cost less are goals of Governor Schwarzenegger’s California Performance Review. Billy Hamilton, the Texas deputy comptroller hired on to spearhead the program, says it is time for a permanent lifestyle change for Sacramento.

MANAGING THE PUBLIC’S ASSETS. Managing hundreds of billions of dollars worth of assets, ranging from office buildings to undeveloped property, requires more scrutiny and better coordination – with an eye on the bottom line, according to Fred Aguiar, secretary of the State and Consumer Services Agency.

TAX BURDEN: WHO’S TELLING THE MYTHS? Notwithstanding a report from the Tax Foundation ranking California 26^th in state and local tax burden, the evidence that California remains a high tax state is overwhelming, says Jon Coupal, president of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association.

CAL-TAX RESEARCH

GOVERNMENT REORGANIZATION. Sweeping changes proposed by Governor Schwarzenegger’s government reorganization provide the foundation on which to build financial accountability, cost effectiveness and performance measures.

REDEVELOPMENT REFORM. Redevelopment agencies have wasted tax dollars and abused the original intent of the state-subsidized program, and it is time for reforms, starting with their financing, according to a white paper commissioned by Cal-Tax.

LOCAL E-911 TAXES ARE BAD CALLS. Stealth taxes in the form of emergency telephone system fees or surcharges are cropping up like mushrooms as local governments scramble to meet rapidly increasing public employee benefits and other escalating costs. Taxes disguised as fees are blatant attempts to circumvent the constitutional requirement for voter approval of local taxes.