Winning Wednesday: 5 great recent victories for the people!

Pearl Jam.

Five.  “Stop The Steal” leader John Eastman loses his CA law license.

According to Politico, the CA Supreme Court turned down Eastman’s final bid to salvage his law license, upholding the decision by lower-court judges to order Eastman’s disbarment over his role in the 2020 scheme. The court ordered that his name be “stricken from the roll of attorneys.”  He’s been suspended from practice for the past few years, as cases against him have wound through the courts.  And his DC license has been revoked as well.

Donald Trump recently “joked” that he would pardon everyone within 200 feet of the Oval Office. Perhaps there are people there worried about the effect that committing crimes for Trump might have on their future prospects.  They should note that a federal pardon doesn’t mean you can’t face consequences on the state level.

Four.   Italy halts defense pact with Israel

On April 14, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni suspended Italy's defense cooperation agreement with Israel.   

According to Politico Europe, this decision came shortly after Israel Defense Forces fired warning shots at an Italian peacekeeping convoy outside Beirut, Lebanon on April 8.  They said that the Italian government has been largely supportive of Israel over its war in Gaza and does not recognize Palestinian statehood. But the war in Iran has created increasing tensions between the two, as Europe generally has not supported the Israel-US war there.

Italy is, of course, home to the Vatican and the Pope, the global leader of the Catholic Church. Meloni condemned Israel for preventing Catholic leaders from celebrating a private Mass in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre on the recent Christian holiday of Palm Sunday, calling it “an offense to religious freedom.”

Three. Clean Energy Candidates Win Majority On Arizona Utility Board

According to the Sierra Club, on April 8, clean energy candidates secured a major victory in the Salt River Project (SRP) utility’s board election. High turnout – more than four times higher than usual –  gave the clean energy slate an 8-6 majority, positioning them to support more affordable, long-term clean energy solutions for both water and power.  SRP is one of the major utility companies in the state.

Public radio station KJZZ noted that “For years, those elections have flown under the radar due to a number of factors, including its unique electoral system that only allows landowners within SRP territory to cast votes. And, for most positions, those votes are allocated based on a landowner’s total acreage, giving large property owners more influence and leaving most homeowners with a fraction of a vote.” 

The candidates were lifted up by a coalition of environmental and pro-renewable energy groups.  Clean energy supporters were motivated by the late Charlie Kirk’s Turning Point Action, who  waged a large-scale get out the vote campaign and endorsed a slate of pro-industry candidates, many of whom have served on SRP’s boards and councils for years.

Two. Washington creates the state’s first income tax – and it’s on millionaires!

 

On March 9, according to Fortune magazine via Yahoo News, Washington’s legislature passed a 9.9% tax on personal income above $1 million per year.  The final vote was 52–46.  It’s scheduled to take effect in 2029, and has some hurdles yet to get over. But still awesome!

As you know, Washington is the home of global multitrillion-dollar organizations Amazon, Microsoft, and Boeing.  Also, it’s facing a huge state budget deficit.

Washington was one of only nine states with no income tax. The no-tax structure there is among the most regressive in the country. According to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, the top 1% of earners in Washington pay just 4.1% of their income in state and local taxes. The bottom 20%, however, pay 13.8%.

The bill also includes includes tax relief for the less wealthy: sales tax exemptions on diapers, over-the-counter medications, and personal hygiene products, plus an expanded Working Families Tax Credit.

One.  Live Nation found guilty of “anti-competitive” practices, could cost them dearly

On April 15, a New York jury found Live Nation/Ticketmaster’s anti-competitive practices led to, among other things, people in 22 states paying an extra $1.72 per ticket, which the judge could order the companies to pay back.

The American Prospect noted what everyone in the music business knows: “In this case, the evidence was incredibly clear: Live Nation uses its various business lines—venue ownership, ticketing, event promotion, and artist management—as mutually reinforcing, to build dominant positions and make it impossible for competitors to operate or for anyone to escape its clutches.”

Dozens of states brought a lawsuit against Live Nation, which puts on tens of thousands of concerts a year, and its Ticketmaster subsidiary.   The decision won’t immediately bring relief from the company’s high ticket prices.  But, according to AP, it could ultimately cost Live Nation hundreds of millions of dollars and perhaps force the company to sell some of its concert venues when the judge hands out penalties later, as well as forcing it to deal with other ticketing companies.

AP took note of inflammatory emails among Live Nation employees provided as evidence. They declared some prices “outrageous,” calling customers “so stupid” and boasting that the company was “robbing them blind, baby.” One of these employees, Benjamin Baker, has since been promoted to a position as a ticketing executive.

It’s a vindication for iconic Seattle rock band Pearl Jam, who battled the business in the 1990s, filing an anti-monopoly complaint with the U.S. Department of Justice.

Also something of a “f-u” to the Federal Dept. of Justice, who settled a similar suit with Live Nation for next to nothing, shortly after Trump’s inauguration.  State AGs have already signaled that they’re likely to take more actions against monopolies.