Gov. Jerry Brown's new measure will ask voters to raise taxes on the wealthy over the next five years. His tax initiative, slated for the November 2012 ballot as soon as Friday, could help put a dent in our state's dwindling economy, "which the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst's Office pegs at $12.8 billion." Or it could upset a lot of extraordinarily powerful people. Or both. more ›

Since Jerry Brown couldn't rally enough Republicans to extend the state sales tax, San Francisco's steep 9.5% tariff on retail goods will drop slightly to an almost-manageable 8.5% rate starting tomorrow. That drop ought to make those mid-summer and holiday weekend sales 1% easier on the ol' pocketbook, but unfortunately for shoppers Temporary Mayor Ed Lee doesn't seem to share his mustachioed predecessor's lust for retail therapy at Wilkes Bashford and Neiman Marcus. The interim mayor is already looking to levy a half-percent local sales tax. more ›

The math wizards in Sacramento are reporting a $2 billion bump in tax revenue after running the numbers on those taxes you filed in April. Eager and optimistic analysts are already saying it's a good sign that things are looking up (economy-wise) around here, but Governor Brown is apparently trying to be levelheaded about it and keep the ol' moonbeam in check: A spokesman for the Department of Finance told the LATimes that Brown is "taking a very prudent and conservative approach" as he updates his budget plan. more ›

As the Board's Budget and Finance committee gets set to review the Twitter Tax Break (neé "Payroll Expense Tax Exclusion in Central Market Street and Tenderloin Area") this Wednesday, rumblings are afoot. A tax exemption that would have repulsed last year's progressive sect could pass with this most recent crop of left-of-center supervisors. As the Chronicle points out today, previously progressive President Chiu and D6's replacement Jane Kim have been instrumental in supporting the tax break, which probably would have been deemed "welfare for the wealthy" a year ago. more ›

"What I propose will be painful," Governor Jerry Brown said to reporters at the Capitol after unveiling a budget proposal that, among other things, will include an 8 percent to 10 percent cut in state worker pay. Brown, according to reports, wants to save "$308 million for a 10 percent reduction in take-home pay for state employees not currently covered under collective bargaining agreements." more ›

Apparently Turbo Tax, for the past nine years, has been doing an annual tally of which cities have the largest number of procrastinating citizens when it comes to filing their taxes. San Francisco, which was No. 1 in 2008, was No. 5 in 2009. Houston holds the current No. 1 spot, which they've held for three previous years. New York City has held strong at No. 3 for the past two years. Don't worry, fellow procrastinators, we still have a little over three weeks before the big deadline! [Via Newser] more ›

Heard about that new Schedule M form that will give you a $400 break on your taxes if you qualify? Neither had we, but luckily CBS Money Watch posted a reminder today. more ›

When you run for office, your life will be scrutinized. For former eBay CEO and gubernatorial Republican candidate Meg Whitman, she's been hit hard over the last week. Today, the California Democratic Party called attention to over $1,600 in unpaid employment taxes for household servants when she lived in Boston during the 1990s. more ›

80 initiatives and referenda and are out and about around the state with advocates trying to collect enough signatures so they can qualify for an upcoming election ballot. You might see people at farmers markets asking you to support the initiative for state parks or maybe you signed the one to legalize marijuana, which has already been turned in and will appear on the November ballot, pending signature verification. more ›

While we love to poke fun at Mayor Gavin Newsom now and then (which we're sure he finds nothing short of adorable, right?) we can all agree on one thing: at least he's no Ron Dellums. With a lien on the Oakland mayor's property for failing to fork over $239,000 in taxes (from 2005 to 2007) to the Internal Revenue Service, the Dellums are now facing a second lien for more than $13,000. Dellums, and his wife, Cynthia, are "named in an IRS lien filed with the Alameda County recorder's office Dec. 23 in the amount of $13,638," reports SFGate. This comes on the heels of Oakland being... well, being Oakland. more ›

Oh oh. Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums owes the IRS in back taxes. Lots and lots of back taxes. more ›

President Obama announced a plan this morning to revise IRS policies and to crack down on individuals and corporations using loopholes and off-shore "headquarters" to avoid paying their fair share of taxes. He plans to hire 800 new IRS employees to act as enforcers of the new plan, looking into and auditing corporate books to retrieve more than $200 billion potentially owed to the government. In his quick speech, Obama cited a famous address in the Cayman Islands which is listed as the headquarters for 12,000 different corporate entities. Please cue the requisite Republican shit fit on Fox News and Matt Drudge summoning the horsemen of the apocalypse. more ›

San Francisco supervisors proved their penis was bigger than Gavin Newsom's, at least for now, when they overrode the mayor's veto, setting the stage for special election to take place on June 2. To no one's surprise, Supervisors Sean Elsbernd and Carmen Chu voted against the override. (God. Yet again, this entire civic thing, if you will, reeks of us vs. them -- that there is your news story -- so forgive us if we sit under the bleachers putting on another coat of black eyeliner while lighting up a clove cigarette. Ugh. Also, this election is about taxes. Which? Zzzz. Only little people pay taxes, folks.) While the election is "expected to cost the city $3 to $4 million," San Francisco faces a ginormous $576 million budget deficit. more ›

As the story of Bob and Sally attest, they shouldn't. more ›

Today is the final day, folks. Have you finished your taxes yet? Yeah, neither have we. (Math is hard.) more ›

Everyone's favorite San Francisco rabblerousers, Matier & Ross, wrote an article on a proposal to raise parking meter violation rates. If approved, violating a meter's time downtown could result in a $60 ticket. more ›

Yesterday we mentioned the delightful work trip/vacation San Francisco supervisor Bevan Dufty and city treasurer Jose Cisneros took to Australia for Sydney's Gay Mardi Gras. Trannyshack founder Heklina was there, too. And many readers fretted about whether or not city tax dollars went to pay for this trip down under -- an excursion, it should be mentioned, that will reportedly bring in much-needed tourist dollars to SF. Anyway, according to Dufty's office: more ›

Remember that budget surplus? Remember when we were flush with cash and we decided to go on this spending binge and Chris Daly got into a fight with everyone because he wanted to spend the money his way and not everyone else's way? Well goodbye to all that because Gavin announced that we know have a whopping $229 million dollar deficit. more ›

Proposition D is a library bond initiative. Let's be clear: we love the public library. Sure, the main building is a little weird looking and they've been restoring it for two years and it functions as a daytime homeless shelter, but...everything in there is free, and if you are trying to find something, the staff knows pretty much everything. The city library is a fantastic resource, and functions a heckuva lot better than, oh,... more ›

Ah, beautiful Diviz. Is there no boulevard more perfect, more blissful? When we think "nice places to take an afternoon constitutional," we are drawn instantly to its divine charm. It is, simply put, an Eden. To alter it would be to play God. more ›

Good news for students of the struggle of the proletariat: even if you don't have time to read Marx, there are alternatives. Like Paul Krugman, Harpers, Howard Zin, Noam Chomsky, the Guardian of London -- and even our very own home-grown SF Bay Guardian. more ›

Although the billionaire hotelier once allegedly (the help is never a reliable source) uttered the words "only the little people pay taxes," Leona Helmsley today paid her biggest tax bill of all, breathing her last breathe in Greenwich, Connecticut. more ›

Associated Press' Scott Lindlaw reports that at yesterday's federal building grand opening, as Nancy Pelosi was in the middle of playing the time-honored role of ribbon cutter, "anti-war protestors" audibly chanted such gems as "Impeach now" and "How about cutting the funding for war?" What's more, they unraveled a large banner reading "Impeach" in front of the day's speakers. But here's the best part: master of ceremonies and Bush administration official, Peter G. Stamison, tries... more ›

a good idea that SPUR already did it over a year ago. Remember March of 2006 when we wrote about the report entitled "Muni's Billion Dollar Problem"? It was about how Muni's budget shortfall will total a BILLION dollars in a few years if they don't get their act in gear. Lack of funding was a big cause of the T-line problems you just saw -- Muni couldn't get enough working trains for the line, and they couldn't hire enough drivers to support their ridiculously high absentee rate. more ›

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This week we'd like to congratulate the -ist network's Mother Hen, Gothamist's Jen Chung, who found herself a recipient of Wired Magazine's Wired Rave Award. If that doesn't sound terribly exciting, keep in mind another recipient was J.K. Rowling. Yep, that's right, the -ist network and Harry Potter now have something in common. Go us. more ›

On Tuesday, the 49ers unveiled their shiny new plan for a stadium in Santa Clara. The whole thing will cost about $854 million with Santa Clara pitching in what is said to be $160 million, although Santa Clara still might have to throw down for another $20 million to move the substation that's on the grounds of the proposed stadium. The rest of the money, $694 million, will come partially from the Niners ($363.3 million) and partially through the usual assortment of things, mainly naming rights and fan gouging. more ›

More mysterious criminal events in Fremont! This time, someone dropped a five-foot tall safe off a truck in the middle of the road. The safe had been pried open, revealing...... a collection of about 70 Star Wars action figures, still in their original packaging. Somewhere, a broken-hearted fan weeps. more ›

One of our favorite episodes of "the Simpsons" is the monorail episode, the one where some con artist (voiced by the late, great Phil Hartman) convinces Springfield that the one thing they need to do to put themselves on the map is a monorail. Of course, it all goes to pot when the guy takes off with some of the money and Homer somehow manages to become the monorail's conductor. So what does this have to do with the 49ers? Because at a meeting yesterday with the Santa Clara City Council, a consultant hired by the 49ers painted such a rosy picture of what would happen if Santa Clara builds them a stadium, we can't but help think about the episode. more ›