February 2011 | Page 2 of 3

Budget and Finance

This article is about Illinois, but it has obvious implications for California. FEB. 19, 2011 By CHRISS STREET Illinois’ powerful Wall Street syndicate of bond underwriters led by Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs just postponed the state’s sale of $3.7

Cities Go On Wild Spending Spree

Steven Greenhut February 19, 2011

FEB. 19, 2011 Gov. Jerry Brown has been caught flat-footed in his plan to shutter the state’s redevelopment agencies as cities across California continue to squander their redevelopment cash, tying up hundreds of millions of dollars in long-term spending on

Will Wisconsin Protests Come to California?

Feb. 18, 2011 By JOHN SEILER Today Wisconsin, tomorrow California? The battle between government-employee unions and state budgets was inevitable once the unions were given collective bargaining rights over the past 50 years. The battle boiled over the past few

Edu-fascism

CalWatchdog Staff February 17, 2011

John Seiler: Here’s yet another outrage from our “public” school system: GPS systems for kids who play hooky. I thought the 13th Amendment abolished slavery. Reports the Orange County Register: ANAHEIM – Frustrated by students habitually skipping class, police and

More At Stake Than Budget Realignment

CalWatchdog Staff February 17, 2011

FEB. 17, 2011 By KATY GRIMES Some county officials are balking at Gov. Jerry Browns proposal, in his January budget, to ”realign” state services to counties to save money. Brown’s proposal was prompted by a summer 2010 proposal by Senate

Lockyer: RDAs Entering Into Bad Deals

CalWatchdog Staff February 13, 2011

FEB. 14, 2011 By KATY GRIMES Immediately following Gov. Jerry Brown’s budget proposal in January, the Legislative Analyst’s Office published an Overview of the Governor’s 2011-2012 Budget. As is often the case with the LAO, the analysis appears largely supportive,

Pensions May Be 'Touchable'

CalWatchdog Staff February 11, 2011

FEB. 11, 2011 By TROY ANDERSON The prevailing wisdom holds that existing public pensions – once converted into Cadillac plans – can’t be turned back into Oldsmobiles. For decades, union officials have repeated the mantra that government agencies can’t modify

Plan Would End Collective Bargaining

CalWatchdog Staff February 10, 2011

FEB. 10, 2011 By LANNY EBENSTEIN There are at present several approaches being considered to reform public unions in California, including proposals to change public sector pensions and to enact paycheck protection, which limits the ability of unions to use

Fewer Families Dictates State's Destiny

CalWatchdog Staff February 9, 2011

FEB. 9, 2011 By WAYNE LUSVARDI The package of spending cuts and tax increases championed by Gov. Jerry Brown in his State of the State (SOS) address, and his opinion poll chorus at the liberal Public Policy Institute of California,

Blakeslee Plans For Tax Law Reforms

CalWatchdog Staff February 8, 2011

FEB. 8, 2011 By KATY GRIMES During the gubernatorial campaign, job creation and retention was a prominent theme in candidate Jerry Brown’s speeches. And now as governor, his recent State of the State address also included the job theme. Since