California is implementing a shocking new income re­distribution scheme. Even though California is one of the most highly taxed states in the country, millions of its resi­dents are in for a fresh jolt. There will soon be a sizable new charge on their electricity bills based on their income.

You read that right. Astoundingly, a big part of utility bills in the now­tarnished Golden State will be determined not only by the amount of electricity consumed but also by how much money one earns. That’s a new income tax, and it’s combined with a novel income­-redistribution plan. The legislature passed this monstrosity a year ago, and the state’s three large utilities are working with the Public Utili­ties Commission to implement it.

The “income graduated fixed charges” involve four income brackets: those who make less than $28,000; $28,000 to $69,000; $69,000 to $180,000; and $180,000 and above. Electricity rates themselves will be reduced so that lower-­income folks will end up paying less than they do now. That won’t be much solace, however. The average cost of electric power for the typical consu­mer in California is nearly 70% more than the national average.

This pernicious legislation discourages conservation, punishing higher­-income resi­dents who have conscientiously reduced their electricity consumption, say, by em­ploying solar panels and washing dishes only by hand. Their bills will go up. If they con­serve, they get penalized.

And how will electric companies know people’s incomes? If the state’s tax collection agency gets involved in that kind of data sharing, it’s guaranteed that the confidentiality of people’s incomes will be fried by hackers and dishonest util­ity employees.

All that is awful enough, but the precedent it sets is even more dreadful. Why not base the prices of all products and services on personal incomes? When you buy a pair of sun­glasses, you’ll pay for them, plus the usual sales tax—and an extra amount based on your income.

What California is doing here is nothing less than a beach­head for what the left has wanted for years: a wealth tax.

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Dan Walters | CalMatters

The cross-country game of oneupmanship between California Gov. Gavin Newsom and the Republican governors of Florida and Texas is becoming more intense with every passing week.

The latest move from Florida’s Ron DeSantis and Texas’ Greg Abbott is to send planes and buses full of Latin American migrants to California cities.

Newsom – backed by Attorney General Rob Bonta – has threatened legal or even criminal action for what they described as virtual kidnappings. “I know one was on the basis of all the interviews and all the facts that are now in evidence,” Newsom said on NBC’s “Today” show after a plane brought immigrants to Sacramento. “Now we have to prove it. “They’re human beings used as pawns for a guy’s political advancement.

That’s pretty sad and pathetic,” Newsom continued. “This is California – fourth- or fifth-largest economy on planet Earth. We mean business. And so Ron DeSantis should know that.” Bonta has fired off demands to Florida for details about the decision to send the migrants to California, and tweeted, “State-sanctioned kidnapping is immoral.”

DeSantis and Abbott contend that those sent to California agreed to being transported and their actions illustrate the Biden administration’s lack of action on border security. “Texas border towns are overwhelmed & overrun because of Biden’s open border policies,” Abbott tweeted. “Texas buses migrants to self-declared sanctuary cities like LA to provide relief to our border communities. We will continue this effort until Biden secures the border.”

Predictably, the episode triggered another round of vitriol. After Newsom denounced DeSantis, a presidential hopeful, again during a Fox News interview last week, DeSantis unloaded on Newsom during a bill-signing ceremony last week saying he “has a real serious fixation on the state of Florida. I think it’s just bizarre that he does that.

What I would tell him is – you know what, stop pussyfooting around. Are you going to throw your hat into the ring and challenge Joe (Biden)?” “Are you going to get in and do it, or are you going to sit on the sidelines and chirp?” DeSantis continued. “So why don’t you throw your hat into the ring, and then we’ll go ahead and talk about what’s happening.”

Florida and Texas taxpayers are financing the planes and buses that ferry migrants to California, and a little-noticed order by a federal judge revealed that one Newsom gesture is costing Californians more than a half-million dollars. After Texas enacted a law to authorize private lawsuits against anyone who aborted a fetus with a detectable heartbeat, and made it virtually impossible to defend such a suit, Newsom persuaded the California Legislature to pass a copycat measure affecting manufacturers of banned firearms.

At the time, Newsom acknowledged that it was a stunt designed to highlight the absurdity of the Texas law rather than a serious expression of policy. The Texas law has survived legal challenges so far, but the California law was quickly voided by federal Judge Roger Benitez as unconstitutional because it would have required defendants to pay the costs of litigation even if they won.

Newsom, who had been sharply critical of Benitez for previous gun rights decisions, praised the judge’s rejection of the law he had championed, saying, “I want to thank Judge Benitez. We have been saying all along that Texas’ anti-abortion law is outrageous. Judge Benitez just confirmed it is also unconstitutional.” Later, Benitez awarded the gun rights groups which had challenged the California law almost $557,000 in attorney fees – money they can use to pursue many other challenges to California gun controls. Taxpayers, not Newsom, are paying the price for his stunt.

DISCLAIMER: The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the various author’s articles on this Opinion piece or elsewhere online or in the newspaper where we have articles with the header “COLUMN/EDITORIAL & OPINION” do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints or official policies of the Publisher, Editor, Reporters or anybody else in the Staff of the Hemet and San Jacinto Chronicle Newspaper.

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WASHINGTON (AP) — The IRS said Monday it will suspend the use of facial recognition technology to authenticate people who create online accounts after the practice was criticized by privacy advocates and lawmakers.

The agency said it would no longer use a third-party service, called ID.me, for facial recognition. Critics of the software said the database could become a target for cyberthreats. They also expressed concern about how the information could be used by other government agencies, among other concerns.

Earlier Monday, Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden, D-Ore., called on the agency to end its use of the ID.me software. After the IRS announced the practice would be suspended, Wyden said “the Treasury Department has made the smart decision to direct the IRS to transition away from using the controversial ID.me verification service.”

“No one should be forced to submit to facial recognition to access critical government services,” he added.

The IRS is currently grappling with a worker shortage and an expanded workload from processing tax filings and administering pandemic-related programs. Legislation that would have given the agency billions of dollars to more expeditiously process returns is stalled.

“The IRS takes taxpayer privacy and security seriously, and we understand the concerns that have been raised,” said IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig.

“Everyone should feel comfortable with how their personal information is secured, and we are quickly pursuing short-term options that do not involve facial recognition.”

The agency said the transition would occur “over the coming weeks in order to prevent larger disruptions to taxpayers during filing season.”

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Leave it to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to disappoint people twice in the same tax season. After waiting longer than usual to receive their refunds this year, many Americans who overpaid taxes on unemployment compensation in 2020 are now eagerly waiting for a second refund that the IRS said would begin to go out this month. With the month more than half over, the IRS is providing few updates.

Due to the American Rescue Plan Act, up to $10,200 is now excluded as taxable unemployment income for 2020, but because the law wasn’t passed until March 2021, many Americans who filed their taxes early may have overpaid. The IRS has said it will automatically correct these returns and that taxpayers who are due a refund, for the most part, do not need to file amended returns.

In an update on May 14, the IRS said those refunds would begin to be distributed “this week” and continue throughout the summer. Ten days later, however, many on social media are wondering if any of these checks have actually been delivered.

Reached for comment, a spokesperson for the IRS told Fast Company that distribution of the payments began last week and that “some taxpayers have received the refunds.” The spokesperson had no immediate details on how many checks have gone out, but reiterated that payments would be made throughout the summer.

The IRS, which is significantly understaffed and underfunded, has been criticized by the National Taxpayer Advocate for its lack of communications regarding refund timelines, and the vague manner in which it has rolled out the unemployment tax refunds is likely to add to that criticism.

One issue seems to be the lack of an adequate tracking system for the payments, with users on social media complaining that the “Where’s My Refund?” tool is not providing them with the proper updates. The IRS did not respond to a followup question about whether it offers a way for taxpayers to track these refunds. In its update earlier this month, it merely said it would send out a notice to taxpayers informing them of their corrected returns within 30 days.

One banking official who spoke with Fast Company on the condition of anonymity said banks were unable to determine if the unemployment tax refunds were being delivered because the transactions would be difficult to distinguish from traditional tax refunds, which are also currently being distributed. Sadly, if you’re eligible for one of these refunds, there doesn’t seem to be a whole lot you

can do besides keep checking your bank account and wait for additional details. We’ll post an update when we know more.

Christopher Zara | Contributed

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As my readers know, I’ve been off for the past two weeks. Upon my return, the paper received a call from a gentleman who seemed between anger and disgust. He requested that I come out to see the condition of his street. Usually, we would refer such calls to the city but stated the city was ignoring him and his neighbors’ complaints.

I arrived at 240 Linda Lane a couple of blocks south of Devonshire and was met by Mr.Charles Vineyard. He didn’t hesitate to let me know how he felt.

“I’ve come to the newspaper because I’m getting nowhere with the city. I started to complain to the city two years ago and have followed up since then. They simply do not respond.”

What, I asked, is your primary complainant. I couldn’t help not notice the gravelly condition of the street.

“As you can see, a city truck came by this week and supposedly patched a few holes. It was a sloppy job and it doesn’t do anything to improve the street’s condition. They gave a few holes a lick and a promise and left, and even that was not properly done. We are sick of it.”

He continued. “My car is constantly out of alignment because of the street’s condition.

This is a street of families with young children who cannot ride their bikes or skate on the street without being injured by the street’s gravelly condition. We do not have come and go traffic and since we are a cul-de-sac, we lookout for our children.

“I don’t expect the street to be re-paved every five years, but I’ve lived here for 15 years and nothing has been done. I notice that nearby Devonshire is re-paved regularly.

Mr. Vineyard then introduced me to his next-door neighbor at 230 Linda Lane, Mr. Francisco Perez who had similar complaints.

“When the kids are playing, they trip on the little potholes that are all up and down this block. Pebbles that have come loose over the years that make the street very rough. They trip and end up with bruises on their elbows and knees. It could be a lot worse. It has been that way for a long time.”

Down the street at 225, I met Mr. Robert Miner, a father of three, ages 10, 6 and 9 months. He says that the two older ones have been out of school for three months and since he lives at the end of the street there is no traffic and even there it is too rough for his youngsters to skate or ride a bike because of the loose gravel and ruts.

“About three years ago, a young girl rode out of her driveway on a scooter and as soon as she hit the street, the scooter hit gravel and flipped her off. She lost several front teeth. That should never happen. I’ve been here for 15 years and it doesn’t do any good to complain to the city. You are just ignored.”

Finally, I spoke to an elderly grandfather residing at 245, whose name is Ted Martin. He echoed the same complaints. “I bought this house in 1992 and not once has this street ever been paved again. I had to put new shocks on my van because of its condition. Over the years, I’ve complained to the city several times and received no response. What they did here this week is nothing. A heavy car would sink into the tar easily. Already there are tire treads because the little they did wasn’t properly tamped down. They were in such a hurry to get out. My grandkids can’t skate or ride their bikes here. There is no fear of cars, only the gutted street. We are taxpayers and we deserve better.”

I, also, have had trouble recently trying to contact the city.

Normally none of this would be the paper’s concern, but when an entire block is united in their complaints and receiving no response from the city, we have a duty to assist. Our job is to serve the community and this, in a way, is part of that job. Angry taxpayers are a force to be reckoned with. Just sayin’

rustystrait@gmail.com

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The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced today it has expanded clinical and office space for serving Veterans by more than 150,000 square feet, while saving taxpayers more than $1.4 million annually. 

The expansion and savings are the result of VA’s implementation of the May 2018 Executive Order 13837 (EO) which prohibits free or discounted use of government property for union business.

VA notified more than 330 local bargaining units late last year that under President Trump’s order, they would be required to either vacate VA property or begin paying rent for any VA-owned office space that was being used for union business.

“This is exactly the type of commonsense policy taxpayers expect and Veterans deserve,” said VA Secretary Robert Wilkie. “President Trump has made clear that VA must put Veterans first in all it does, and this change helps us do just that.”

In the first quarter of fiscal year (FY) 2020, employees spent 135,000 hours in “official time.” But the second quarter of FY 2020 ending in March saw a 56% drop, as just 59,000 hours of “official time” were logged by VA employees.

Faced with the prospect of paying fair-market rent for the VA space they had been using for free, 244 local union bargaining units notified VA they plan to vacate VA premises.

VA facilities will use this space for administrative staff in some cases, but in other cases it will become space where Veterans receive care. For example, space freed up under the EO is being used to provide mental health care in Massachusetts, suicide prevention counseling in Pennsylvania and care for homeless Veterans in North Carolina.

Additionally, 77 local union bargaining units have signed yearlong leases with VA and are paying rent to retain space located on VA property, which will result in a total of more than $1.4 million per year in rent payments that will be directed back to the U.S. Treasury. VA started collecting those rent payments in March.

The order also calls for reductions in the use of “official time,” which is time during the workday federal employees engage in union activities. VA has made significant progress in this area to ensure VA employees are focused on serving Veterans.

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