Jon Coupal Commentary on High Speed Rail Bond – by Peter Fleming, Malibu Real Estate Confidenetial
by Peter Fleming, Malibu Real Estate Confidential
One of the most important people in California is attorney Jon Coupal, president of Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, that gave all Californians Proposition 13 many years ago which stabilized and reduced property taxes for all time. HJTA is doing more than any other group to protect homeownership from the crazies in Sacramento, and Jon’s weekly columns, in my opinion, are the best investigative journalism in our glorious state. Here is an excerpt. I recommend you subscribe as I do.
C A L I F O R N I A C O M M E N T A R Y
A weekly opinion column from the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association
Wheels Coming Off High Speed Rail
By Jon Coupal
When California voters barely approved a $9.95 billion bond measure for High Speed Rail in 2008, they had no idea how soon they would learn the true meaning of the phrase “being railroaded.” As more about this project is revealed, the backlash from the public and political leadership is sure to grow.
For purposes of full disclosure, Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association ran the unsuccessful campaign against Prop 1A (not to be confused with 2009’s Prop 1A, an attempt to raise $16 billion in new taxes). The California Legislature had already stacked the deck by providing such a biased title and summary for the measure that the issue of that deception is still the subject of litigation today. The deceptive ballot material, in addition to the campaign contributions from those who would profit from the project, was enough to ensure victory at the polls – albeit by a very small margin.
Now our predictions have come true. A headline from the San Jose Mercury News last week reads “State High-speed Train Rides To Be Costlier, Ridership Lower Than Promised To Voters.” Describing the most recent “business plan” for the HSR, reporter Mike Rosenberg writes:
“The average ticket on the bullet train from San Francisco to Los Angeles is now estimated to cost about $105, or 83 percent of comparable airfare. Last year, the state said prices would be set at 50 percent of comparable airfare and predicted a ticket from San Francisco to Los Angeles would cost $55.” This near doubling of the projected fare price will have a major impact on ridership: “As a result of the higher fares, state officials now think the service will attract 41 million annual riders by 2035, down from last year’s prediction of 55 million passengers by 2030.”
The only good news is that it is still not too late to pull the plug on the entire HSR scheme. Legal authority exists to simply refuse to issue any more bonds or provide appropriations. Better yet, if the Legislature had the courage to do so, it would put the issue back before the voters and, instead of telling them a story of sugar plum fairies, tell the truth about costs and environmental impact.
But the chances the California Legislature will do the right thing here are zero. There are too many moneyed interests, too many cows to be milked to give up on this lucrative project to expect that rational thought will win the day. Between the p.r. firms, the contractors and bond brokers, they will push this horrible project as aggressively as possible before the real truth is realized. By then, they hope it will be too late for California to reverse itself.
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Jon Coupal is president of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association — California’s largest grass-roots taxpayer organization dedicated to the protection of Proposition 13 and the advancement of taxpayers’ rights. This column in its entirety can be viewed online here.
At Malibu Real Estate Confidential, we’d love to hear from you – about real estate, freedom, citizenship and home ownership. You can reach Peter Fleming directly at 310-454-1373 or email him at peterfleming@earthlink.net. For all your home buying and selling needs shouldn’t you choose a real estate agent with a seasoned attitude and a commitment to home ownership?
Malibu’s Unheralded Hero: Jon Coupal By Peter Fleming, Malibu Real Estate Confidential
By Peter Fleming, Malibu Real Estate Confidential
Occasional statistics tell us most Malibu residents are democrats, or “liberals”, as they like to call themselves. Let’s face it, there are no Malibu Tea Party gatherings complaining about state deficits, state retirement packages, California’s new taxes on workers, or academic public school failures. They just ain’t there in Malibu. Even one of our own respected newspaper publishers proudly editorializes that he is “a tax and spend democrat”. Not a whimper of complaint from Malibu readers. Go figure! Whatever your citizen beliefs of self responsibility, or lack thereof, there is one guy protecting you, enjoy it or not. Attorney Jon Coupal, our current President of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, has done something no previous HJTA executive has done before. He has gone from monthly mailed solicitations to blogging a weekly newsletter revealing daily scandals in Sacramento in a scholarly and legally sound way. Coupal does what the Sacramento Bee, San Francisco Chronicle and Los Angeles Times have never done; KEEP watch over our reckless legislators and bureaucrats in Sacramento. They’ve always sneaked by without sound reportage. Certainly the roboticized blondes in TV’s “news” have no eyes for legalized theft, so TV has not helped. I believe Jon is the finest investigative journalist in all of California.
Regardless of party affiliations or beliefs encouraging government growth, or the stopping of state government growth, Coupal is protecting your right to continue to live in your Malibu home. It’s staggering to compute the money each of us has saved thanks to Prop 13. Coupal and his staff save money for us every time our leaders propose another tax, fee, license on our homes. All I am here to say is consider keeping track of his accomplishments to insure your improved financial security. I believe Malibu is the best place to live in all of California for a long list of favorite reasons, and HJTA is helping you to keep it that way. It costs nothing to read the HJTA Weekly Newsletter. No pressure; voluntary contributions only.
And for all of Malibu, so much for the endless public relations of U2 being a goodly green group.
At Malibu Real Estate Confidential, we’d love to hear from you – about real estate, freedom, citizenship and home ownership. You can reach Peter Fleming directly at 310-454-1373 or email him at peterfleming@earthlink.net. For all your home buying and selling needs shouldn’t you choose a real estate agent with a seasoned attitude and a commitment to home ownership?
By Peter Fleming, Malibu Real Estate Confidential
Does it make sense for U2, the world’s leading rock band to allow itself to appear to be hypocritical in Malibu, of all places? As I recall, U2 was the first really famous musical outfit to speak of saving the environment and to get involved in world improving projects. They were into the environment even before everybody started calling it green.
So, how does that effect Malibu real estate you may ask? One of their stars, The Edge, is trying to slice up a beautiful, pristine natural mountain top that is located in an exclusive, private, 24 hour gated residential part of Malibu. The Edge wants to disrupt this really perfect, uniquely Malibu environment, and build six monster tract houses in place of the natural countryside.
Okay. Maybe going into such a choice neighborhood does not disturb some of you, but maybe this next detail will put you over the edge. The Edge has been selling the City Council and Planning Commission and other bureaucrats on how much this project will raise the local tax base. And he has also been reassuring them all that this mountain top scraping will require removal of only 77,000 cubic yards of earth trucked through the solitude of this sublime neighborhood. And he states that it will take 4,500 truck loads to accomplish the job. That’s a lot just to start with, but wait.
It is here that the numbers caught the humorously arithmetical eye of well known Malibu geologist and longtime resident, Don Michael, as he writes, “the largest usable truck is a 10 wheeler, and 10 wheelers only carry about seven cubic yards. Any contractor not working for the developer (ho ho), will tell you that when rock is excavated, it undergoes “breakout”, which means that the volume of rock in the ground is less than that same volume after it is excavated”. It now takes up more hauling space and the cubic volume increases by about 20%, resulting from this loosening “breakout”. So, increasing the conservative estimate by 20%, then, DOUBLING IT, you have somewhere between a nightmarish 11,500 to over 13,000 truck trips in round numbers. Why double it? Remember that for each load carried out, there is always the empty truck driving in, and making just as much noise and fumes, wearing down of the environment, too. Don’t forget
the unending annoyance to all residents and negative effects on property sales.
As Don Michael says, “So much for the forgotten, if ever learned, discipline of arithmetic in Malibu”.
And for all of Malibu, so much for the endless public relations of U2 being a goodly green group.
At Malibu Real Estate Confidential, we’d love to hear from you – about real estate, freedom, citizenship and home ownership. You can reach Peter Fleming directly at 310-454-1373 or email him at peterfleming@earthlink.net. For all your home buying and selling needs shouldn’t you choose a real estate agent with a seasoned attitude and a commitment to home ownership?
By Peter Fleming, Malibu Real Estate Confidential
City Council Conducts the Vanishing Lease…
We’ve seen the movies where developers and corrupted city officials tear down a classic old ethnic neighborhood to build modern housing for the upper middle class, bringing a new unwanted elegance to Old Town. We always hate the corrupt mayor and big shots, and somebody always gets hurt.
Accuse me of over dramatizing, but manyu Malibu locals looked askance at the loss of the Malibu Lumber Yard in much the same way; questionable “progress” moving out the old and comfortable. Dick Van Dyke’s letter said it best that he had to drive to the Valley to get a screw driver. Other voices predicted fuel waste and traffic accidents caused by thousands of extra dangerous canyon trips to shop elsewhere. So, the City Council wanted more money per square foot for their city property. Bring progress to Malibu. Bring chic, and more rent. The tourists will love newer and fancier T shirts. Talk about bad timing just as store front space is going big time vacant!
Besides starting this ill-timed, pretentious shopping center, they stick the knife in nervily calling it, The Lumber Yard. That’s the stolen name, to go with an expensive lease made by the over eager Malibu City council. Add in, the crowded over stocking of each less than upscale store, and wind up not being able to pay the big rent. Then, according to the Malibu paper, the tenants ask for and GET A MALIBU BAILOUT!!! The Council grants them half payment only for the next fifteen years, plus NO INTEREST on the balance of this dubious sounding arrangement. With this bailout, if they are even master tenants for that length of time, and if they pay, it will be virtually a worthless payout at few pennies on the dollar. A virtual gift payable in future worthless dollar.
Definition of BAILOUT: friends helping friends to your money! Timely and not bad. eh? If Arnold, Goldman and the Fed can do it. If Bush and Obama can do it, the Malibu leaders follow suit.
We need more good citizens to move to Malibu.
At Malibu Real Estate Confidential, we’d love to hear from you – about real estate, freedom, citizenship and home ownership. You can reach Peter Fleming directly at 310-454-1373 or email him at peterfleming@earthlink.net. For all your home buying and selling needs shouldn’t you choose a real estate agent with a seasoned attitude and a commitment to home ownership?
Malibu Broker Caravan…Good Housing Some Bad Practice by Peter Fleming, Malibu Real Estate Confidential
by Peter Fleming, Malibu Real Estate Confidential
Weekly Malibu Broker Caravans are the days agents like me tour all of Malibu comparing new houses on the market, also seeing price reductions, leases and just plain repeats. And almost always, days that I wish buyer prospects were with me seeing what I see.
The good news is always the excitement of seeing incredible construction, vision and comfort in properties in all price ranges. Somehow, it seems Malibu owners and builders take greatest pride in their homes. Recently, saw two huge lodge-like mansion, feeling of dark wood beam comfort, big wooden stair railings, doors and windows of dark wood, both lodge like feelings of strength. The kind of power found Aspen or Manhattan, with one at 20 million on a sandy beach, the other at 10million behind the most exclusive gated area in Malibu. Each house loaded with marvelous extra creative spaces and you can imagine staying in either house work or play for days never wanting to leave the giant comfort…even though you will, because you’re in unbeatably gorgeous Malibu.
During the week new listing previews are given by each office for their own agents, to give them first look advantage over all other agents. Brokers want their own agents to bring in early offers on their own listings giving that broker both sides of, or double , the commission. “Insider” double commissions are good for the agents, but they are not good for the seller. It simply is not good to limit the exposure of the property to only a few buyers. The best buyer is still out there not allowed to see the property. Attorneys and business managers agree to the wise practice stating to the public that no offer will be responded to, countered or accepted until a week or two has passed on the open market. The common sense of this rule is that all qualified prospective buyers must be given a reasonable amount of time to see the new listings.
At Malibu Real Estate Confidential, we’d love to hear from you – about real estate, freedom, citizenship and home ownership. You can reach Peter Fleming directly at 310-454-1373 or email him at peterfleming@earthlink.net. For all your home buying and selling needs shouldn’t you choose a real estate agent with a seasoned attitude and a commitment to home owership?
A True Green Idea that is not political, not taxable !! by Peter Fleming, Malibu Real Estate Confidential
By Peter Fleming, Malibu Real Estate Confidential
My innovative engineer/inventor client, BOB LYNCH has come up with a wonderful GREEN IDEA for all Malibu greenies. Here is the unique opportunity for green spirited Malibu residents to truly help solve the energy crisis. An opportunity for the famous and not famous of Malibu to visually set a leadership example for all America!
This is an energy conservation based plan can be started immediately. The power savings are massive.
First a brief physics lesson: any engineer is aware that using electricity to heat air is a highly inefficient use of power. It’s a fact: most of the modern world uses electric power to dry laundry, and it’s the greatest waste of power known to man.
The solution is simple; it’s called a clothes line. The technology has been perfected for years. When I was young, we had clothes lines in most back yards. There were no electric clothes dryers. The process was 100% efficient. All the clothes were dried with no energy input other than my mother clipping the clothes to the rope.
While we’re at it, Malibu’s other green aspect. Greenies believe switching to fluorescent bulbs is a badge of honor. However, the power savings are so miniscule that they are only cited in savings over a ten year period. Malibu’s clothes line plan would instantly bring us power savings to immediately dwarf any attempt at Malibu light bulb savings. It’s okay to forget those funny looking bulbs.
Malibu’s ultimate green badge of honor; on the beach, the clothes lines would be strung on the decks in front of the sand. Talk about great aerial shots. For the rest of Malibu, in the hills, the canyons, the laundry would be placed for the entire world to see what’s going on. Any Malibu neighbors who object to bras and underwear can use enclosed courts. The results in Malibu’s new lower consumption of electricity will help millions to see the light. And the landscape will look like a visit from Cristo. THIS is good Malibu public relations. And not the shallow doings of the City Council hiring a PR firm.
Greenies can visualize the day when all of the Malibu has visible hanging cloths lines with a rainbow of colors waving in the Malibu breezes. Malibu can create a timeless new look from the beaches to the hills!
Thanks to Bob Lynch, the engineer who discovered the anthropological prevention and cure to lower back pain.
At Malibu Real Estate Confidential, we’d love to hear from you – about real estate, freedom, citizenship and home ownership. You can reach Peter Fleming directly at 310-454-1373 or email him at peterfleming@earthlink.net. For all your home buying and selling needs shouldn’t you choose a real estate agent with a seasoned attitude and a commitment to home ownership?
By Peter Fleming, Malibu Real Estate Confidential
Pacino shouted to other cops surveying the crime scene in the classic movie, “HEAT”, WHATTA WE GOT!? WHATTA WE GOT!? Well, what we’ve got here in Malibu are three major brush fires this last year. Plus others. That’s what we’ve got. And more fires in terrain similar to Malibu, all over California. We just recently experienced one of the largest fires in Los Angeles, the Station Fire. So, why do we have an un-elected bureaucrat exerting all his powers to legalize more campfires in our hillside tinder-box? The “permitted Malibu fires”, he advocates will unavoidably create even more fires, destroying more homes, and risking more injury and death.
How is it possible for an obsessed bureaucrat to stonewall the public’s concern about Malibu mountain brush fire storms when here we are right next to a shoreline with miles of open, brushless, sandy Malibu beaches – the best place in the world for campfires, with evening surf sounds, cool breezes, and easy patrolling. But, ah, there’s the rub. Such would deny Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy director Joe Edmiston his high-risk, Malibu patrolling areas thereby justifying expansion of his own private force of armed rangers. Edmiston has no authority on our Malibu beaches. Could that explain his blithe unconcern about fires in our tinder-dry Malibu hills?
Why not consider the monetary question of risk? Once legalized, fires will drive up the cost of fire insurance. We know the costs will be considerably higher in the Malibu brush. Are Malibu homeowners who can afford it supposed to rebuild and wait for the next fire? I don’t think so. One writer to our local Malibu Surfrider newspaper paper notes we in Malibu are a BEACH COMMUNITY where safe fires can be employed, easily controlled, and enjoyed with little danger. Rather than, the hills-alight, king-of-fright, our own Pyro Joe Edmiston, immediately following our worst fire season, has the chutzpah to introduce his scheme to expand his fiefdom of power. Although not a pyromaniac, just a petty tyrant, he can’t be fired except for cause or egregious incompetence. Say! There’s a thought. Sacramento wants to tax us out of our homes. Pyro Joe wants to burn us out of our Malibu homes.
Update The STATE had a meeting with Malibu homeowners, Kangaroo Court actually, and after a ten hour supposed “hearing”, the State resolutely voted down the Malibu residents. It’s time to organize a civilian watch, bring a class action for their imprudent activities, and stay in front of the press. Don’t we have more than enough planning already?
At Malibu Real Estate Confidential, we’d love to hear from you – about real estate, freedom, citizenship and home ownership. You can reach Peter Fleming directly at 310-454-1373 or email him at peterfleming@earthlink.net. For all your home buying and selling needs shouldn’t you choose a real estate agent with a seasoned attitude and a commitment to home ownership?
Malibu, one of the more ideal residential real estate locations to the local citizenry,
celebrities, corporate and industrial heads from all over America would certainly
be a prized neighborhood for such a Farmers Market. But no !, Approval has been
held up by the local, recently empowered, Malibu City politicians, and the latest
is a hearing is now scheduled for Sept 15.
What else is new? Give a guy a little power and he will exert it no matter what.
Here’s how it lays out. There is one local prospect, not in business, with Malibu
political friends. The other prospect, RAW INSPIRATION, manages 15 weekly
farmers markets in the Palisades, Calabassas, Agoura etc, with a strong list of farmers
supplying the highest quality, fresh organically grown, products available anywhere.
There is great pleasure buying eggs, apples, greens, fruits and vegetables
from the same grower every week, who personally vouches for his/her wares.
And we continue to shop at our Malibu supermarket during the week for a huge
range of packaged foods, meats, fish, baked goods, ice cream, dairy products.
There’s a world of aromatic coffees and teas, packaged cookies and cereal
products, mustards, sauces, pickles, mayonaise, like magic, it goes on and on.
So, for those who really care about peak health, the final touch is freshness
and the confidence of selecting chemical free produce in a Farmers Market.
This is a column about Malibu real estate. So, don’t laugh, but a worthy
Malibu Farmers Market increases the real estate value of all the surrounding
neighborhoods of Malibu.
Ask your friends in these other communities, then put in a good word for
Raw Inspiration. coming to Malibu. You’ll be glad you did.
