Free Republic

A proposed one-time 5% wealth tax on billionaires could raise $100 billion for healthcare while threatening to drive wealth out of state.The measure has divided powerful Democrats: Sen. Bernie Sanders supports it while Gov. Newsom warns a state-by-state approachcould damage innovation and entrepreneurship.Initiative backers must gather the signatures of nearly 875,000 registered voters by June 24 to qualify for November’s ballot. The fiery debate about a proposed ballot measure to tax California’s billionaires has sparked some soul-searching across the state.While the idea of a one-time tax on more than 200 people has a long way to go before getting onto...

SACRAMENTO (AP) - The latest attempt to provide driver's licenses for illegal immigrants passed the state Senate on Thursday, after proponents tied the measure to the state's compliance with a new federal law intended to deter terrorists. The bill by Sen. Gil Cedillo, D-Los Angeles, includes provisions that restrict how the licenses can be used and what they would look like. Cedillo said the federal law signed by President Bush last month forced him to accept restrictions he previously rejected. The measure passed 22-16, sending it to the Assembly. The federal REAL ID Act requires states to verify that people...