REDEVELOPMENT AGENCIES GET THE SHORT END OF THE STICK IN BOTH HOUSES; BUDGET READY FOR THE GOVERNOR
By Steven Tavares
steven.tavares@eastbaycitizen.com
Follow @eastbaycitizen on twitter
Senate Majority Leader Ellen Corbett said Wednesday afternoon after the California State Senate passed a flurry of bills to duck a constitutional deadline for passage a fiscal budget, “We will make history, but our job is not done.”
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Senate Majority Leader
Ellen Corbett (D-San Leandro)
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Corbett addressed the senate floor today in the midst of the likelihood Democrats would push through passage of a package of bills without support of Republicans. It is the first time since 1986 a budget package will be approved by the constitutional deadline of June 15.
“I want to thank Republicans who have struggled with this,” she said, but lamented opposition from the entire caucus, “I’m very sad this did not come to pass.” Corbett, though, attempted a final time to attract bipartisan support. “Consider the consequences happening today,” she said. “It’s not too late to look at a different way.”
“We all know that deadline was coming,” added Corbett. “We have no other options without revenues. We have to make cuts.”
The Senate approved nine bills Wednesday to wrap up their work on the fiscal budget for 2012. Included is $1.7 billion from redevelopment to facilitate a balanced budget, although a first round of votes fell short of passage. The senate returned to approved the two bills, 21-16. The assembly followed through later in the day approving 20 bills almost entirely along party lines, including the so-called “Amazon Tax” bill tacking on sales tax to online purchases.
News of radically changing the way local cities move towards redeveloping blight and underused areas and the fate of already shovel-ready projects is likely to become a firestorm of criticism among local leaders state-wide.
In the East Bay, cities like Hayward and Fremont have led the way in taking a highly vocal stand in favor of the perception the Legislature is attempting to strip its local authority. Fremont, for one, was one of the first municipalities to formulate possible end-arounds of Gov. Jerry Brown’s initial proposal to end redevelopment agencies as they operate today.
ebcitizen.com 
Hey Proud you jackass, it's WE THE CONSUMER'S who pay the sales taxes not the internet companies. You fool. But then you're just another parasite leech so what do you care about people who actually work for a living??? There's not a damn thing stopping you from buying something and paying the sales tax. So once again; STFU you know nothing, you're comments are idiotic and you're a welt on the ass of humanity.
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I live in San Leandro. I want competition. I also want local businesses I can walk into which are not disadvantaged by discriminatory tax laws. Variances in local/state tax rates are an extremely minor portion of purchase prices, except for circumstances like the 0% tax rate for many (not all) online sales. Then, the difference becomes meaningful.
The government invented, provided and funds maintainance of the Internet for people and businesses alike. We are paying for it; so should online businesses. The free ride should end, and they should be made to help pay for this benefit which comes from our money.
If online businesses cannot maintain themselves when participating in a more equal market, that's capitalism!
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Proud you are an idiot we all know that. No difference between mail order and internet. You're a fool so no use wasting bandwidth attempting to explain the obvious to you.
Answer to question 4…that's called competition you jackass. Why do you want people to have to pay more for a product?
Answer to question 5…because you are an idiot and no other word can describe your lunacy. Have you graduated from pre-school you cry baby retard?
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1) Thank you for conceding that there is no legal precedent set by the full Judiciary on Internet sales.
2) Internet sales are NOT mail sales. They are very different in many important areas.
3) Even if we were to concede that the Quill decision provides a defining precedent here (I don't), this Supreme Court has shown an eager willingness to overturn precedent.
4) Why do you wish for our local businesses to continue to suffer from massive competitive disadvantages to online businesses? A well-run online business retains many advantages well beyond the sales tax issue.
5) Why the hostility? Do you believe you move your argument forward with the name calling? Have you graduated from junior high school yet?
It would be good to hear answers to questions 4 and 5.
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Quill Corporation vs. North Dakota (1992) dealt with mail order companies, the ancestor to internet sales. Sorry Proud, you loser, you can't tax internet sales. Go cry some more you moron.
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The name of that case, please?
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There is a Supreme Court ruling that unless a retailer has a physical presence in a state the retailer does not have to collect sales tax to that state. Every state that attempted to collect sales tax from Amazon has failed.
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Can I make a deposit in the commode without paying a TAX? I guess not if they TAX toilet tissue to wipe your butt, what a shame and I do pay tax now when i buy online!! Why don't they just raise the sales tax to 8% so we don't have to pay income & school taxes?
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the only advantage to buying anything online is no tax. you already have to pay for shipping which is more than the tax you pay at your local store.
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All sales should be taxed including internet sales. The only exceptions should be necessities like food, etc.
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Parity between neighborhood and online retailers = “nazi bullshit”.
That phrase doesn't mean what you think it means.
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Why should internet sales have an advantage over your neighborhood stores?
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Fuck the amazon tax. That's some straight up nazi bullshit.
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