Budget and Finance
Back to homepageCalifornian Utopia turns into Dante’s Inferno
Mar. 10, 2010 Inferno, the first part of the famous 14th century epic poem Divina Commedia (Divine Comedy) by Dante Alighieri, tells of a man’s journey through Hell toward faith. Along the way, Dante sees the uncommitted souls of the people
Read MoreCalifornia’s jobs crash worsens
March 9, 2010 By JOHN SEILER In some of the articles I’ve written for CalWatchdog, I’ve devised new ways of looking at policies and their consequences, such as my “California Jobs Gap” calculation here and here. It showed that California’s
Read MoreCTA rally: Raise our taxes!
This photo is from the California Teachers Association rally protesting education budget “cuts” at the Capitol today. Senate President Darrell Steinberg spoke to the group and said “Enough is enough. Nor more cuts.” In news reports today, we heard school
Read MoreLegislators Consider Merits of Williamson Act
Mar. 3, 2010 By KATY GRIMES For more than 45 years, California farmers, ranchers and land owners have voluntarily participated in the Williamson Act, which restricted the use of their land to agriculture but gave property tax breaks for the
Read MorePublic Versus Private: Different Sets of Rules
Mar. 2, 2010 The recent stories of state workers abusing vacation policies and comp-time serves as another reminder that there are two sets of rules and laws in California — one for private sector employers and one for the state
Read MoreStudents vs. Arnold
Ah, youth. So energetic. So enthusiastic. So idealistic. So primed to be disillusioned. Students protesting fee hikes at state-run universities actually thought they might talk some sense to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. But he told them: “I don’t have more money
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