@joncoupal

Jon Coupal is President of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, California's largest taxpayer advocacy organization with over 200,000 members.

 California
hjta.org
Joined December 2008
  • Tweets3.4K
  • Following394
  • Followers5.7K
152Media
What a joke. Just buy everyone a Tesla. "Over $1 billion spent, few miles driven: How California's flagship clean transit initiative was hit by accusations of fraud and waste." @hjta. latimes.com/environment/stor…

Over $1 billion spent, few miles driven: How California's flagship clean transit initiative was hit...

A premier California green transportation initiative is roiled by accusations of fraud, waste and poor oversight. Officials insist it is managed effectively.

latimes.com
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Disgusting. "Inside Gavin Newsom's taxpayer-funded team that never stops posting." Stop whining about budget shortfalls. calmatters.org/politics/2026… @hjta

Inside Gavin Newsom's taxpayer-funded team that never stops posting

Gavin Newsom has been a Twitch stream guest, a Substacker, a Tiktoker and a podcast bro. Here’s how he’s used the media to boost himself as governor.

calmatters.org
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The truth about Prop. 43: Don’t fall for the fearmongering ocregister.com/2026/10/04/th…

The truth about Prop. 43: Don’t fall for the fearmongering

A great deal of overstatement can be expected in any political contest, but when it comes to the predictions of disaster if more taxes are not forthcoming, voters would be well advised to ignore the...

ocregister.com
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Prop 43: Stop Getting Steamrolled by Special Taxes. open.substack.com/pub/califo… @hjta.

Prop 43: Stop Getting Steamrolled by Special Taxes

By James Fenkner, CFA

californiacurrent.org
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Truth from @DanCALmatters: "Tilting California voters toward raising local taxes often involves tricks, manipulation." @hjta. calmatters.org/commentary/20…

Tilting California voters toward raising local taxes often involves tricks, manipulation

Municipalities and school districts can't legally spend tax dollars pushing ballot measures. But many do, calling it information outreach.

calmatters.org
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Jon Coupal: Modest pension reform survives in California. @hjta. ocregister.com/2026/09/24/jo…

Jon Coupal: Modest pension reform survives in California

In vetoing AB 1383, Governor Newsom said, “This is an era of California history I do not wish to repeat.”

ocregister.com
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We're number 1! We're number 1! Aren't you proud to be a Californian? "Gas Taxes by State, 2026." taxfoundation.org/data/all/s…. @hjta.

Comparing 2026 Gas Taxes by State

California levies the highest state gas tax at 73.6 cents per gallon, followed by Illinois and Indiana. Explore 2026 gas taxes by state.

taxfoundation.org
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Agreed. This was a surprise. "Credit to the California Governor for vetoing legislation that would have raised pensions for public-safety unions and mortgaged state taxpayers even more than they already are." @hjta. wsj.com/opinion/gavin-newsom… via @WSJopinion

Opinion | Gavin Newsom’s Finest Hour

The California Governor vetoes a bill that would have gutted pension reforms.

wsj.com
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As we predicted in 2008: "Some 18 years after California voted to launch a train that would travel between San Francisco and Los Angeles in under three hours, the project has yet to lay its first track." @hjta. wsj.com/us-news/years-late-b… via @WSJ

Years Late, Billions Over Budget: California’s High-Speed Rail Hasn’t Laid a Track

A push now aims to jump-start the project, but there are skeptics.

wsj.com
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The problem gets worse every election cycle. "California’s ballot argument rules give tax proponents an unfair advantage." ocregister.com/2026/08/30/ca… @hjta.

California’s ballot argument rules give tax proponents an unfair advantage

This year’s California county voter information guides will once again display a serious inequity.

ocregister.com
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Good take on the absurdity of the state budget by @DanCALmatters. "California's budget is so convoluted that even experts are perplexed at what it contains." @hjta. calmatters.org/commentary/20…

California's budget is so convoluted that even experts are perplexed at what it contains

California's budget has become opaque, and the plan itself is a hodgepodge of phantom revenues, accounting gimmicks and off-the-books loans.

calmatters.org
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BEWARE THE ONSLAUGHT OF "GUT & AMEND" BILLS! Both chambers have voted to waive the rules so that committees can hear these new bills, during the busy final days of the session, while the Legislature is also rushing to pass bills on the floor. What a corrupt process! @hjta.
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The biggest obstacle to economic and fiscal sanity: "California’s Billion-Dollar Union Machine." city-journal.org/article/cal…. @hjta.

California’s Billion-Dollar Union Machine

How public-sector unions harvest taxpayer cash and rule the state

city-journal.org
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My latest @ocregister column. Jon Coupal: Wealth disparities are no excuse for Marxism. @hjta. ocregister.com/2026/08/19/jo…

Jon Coupal: Wealth disparities are no excuse for Marxism

For those desiring a society where wealth disparities are virtually non-existent, a trip to North Korea would be educational.

ocregister.com
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What Is Gavin Newsom Hiding? disq.us/t/58j1d8p

What Is Gavin Newsom Hiding?

The governor presides over a statewide culture of secrecy.

city-journal.org
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Did politicians forget the pension crisis of 2010 or do they just not care? Maybe it's the union $$$ that motivates them. "Lawmakers set to give more lavish pension benefits to state’s highest-paid workers." @hjta. ocregister.com/2026/08/10/la…

Lawmakers set to give more lavish pension benefits to state’s highest-paid workers

Assembly Bill 1383 is a taxpayer-funded handout to highly compensated, long-tenured employees that won’t attract or retain the next generation of police officers and firefighters.

ocregister.com
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It's not about the students. It's about sustaining an ossified, corrupt bureaucracy. "Los Angeles Schools Run Out of Other People’s Money." by Allysia Finley wsj.com/opinion/los-angeles-… via @WSJopinion @hjta.

Opinion | Los Angeles Schools Run Out of Other People’s Money

A Covid hiring binge and lavish union contracts leave the district on the verge of going broke.

wsj.com
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Opinion [and fact]: "California’s pension funds are rigged to stick taxpayers with the bill." @hjta. sfstandard.com/opinion/2026/… via @sfstandard

Opinion: California’s pension funds are rigged to stick taxpayers with the bill

AB 1383 would let CalPERS and CalSTRS keep lowballing what they ask public employees to pay, leaving taxpayers to cover the gap — again.

sfstandard.com
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Jon Coupal: The two-thirds vote requirement for taxes is fair ocregister.com/2026/08/01/jo… @hjta.

Jon Coupal: The two-thirds vote requirement for taxes is fair

As this nation’s first Chief Justice, John Marshall, noted in 1819, “The power to tax is the power to destroy.” 

ocregister.com
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Endorsement: Yes on Proposition 43, make it harder to raise taxes ocregister.com/2026/08/09/en… @hjta.

Endorsement: Yes on California Proposition 43, make it harder to raise taxes

As it stands, the final measure is praiseworthy, as it puts the brakes on local governments’ ability to collude with special interests to more easily raise your taxes.

ocregister.com
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