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Back to homepageLAO’s budget reality check
Jan. 13, 2009 By JOHN SEILER Time for a reality check on the budget. That comes from the state Legislative Analyst’s Office, a non-partisan oasis in the middle of the partisan desert of state government. The LAO’s January 12 analysis
Read MoreOfficial state records are disappearing
Jan. 13, 2010 By ANTHONY PIGNATARO If there’s one thing our state government does exceptionally well, it’s the production of records. Every month, dozens of state agencies and departments — to say nothing of the Legislature itself — churns out
Read MoreCampbell shift helps DeVore
Tom Campbell is shifting his ambitions from the governor’s throne to the U.S. Senate. This obviously helps conservative Chuck DeVore in the race, as the third major person running is Carly Fiorina, another moderate. This analysis notes that. But the
Read MoreVoter ID bill disenfranchised
Jan. 12, 2010 By KATY GRIMES A bill designed to combat voter fraud was disenfranchised in the state Senate’s elections committee after a close vote and plenty of testimony in opposition. The committee heard testimony of the bill proposed by
Read MoreIs FI$Cal doomed?
And now it’s time to talk about the Financial Information System for California, which is known colloquially by the obscenely cutesy acronym FI$Cal. It doesn’t get a lot of press, but this project—conceived back in 2007 as an “historic partnership” between
Read MoreCalifornia's jobs gap
Jan. 11, 2010 By JOHN SEILER California continues to stagger under unemployment levels higher than the national average. The latest figures, released on Dec. 18, 2009, show that the state suffered 12.3 percent unemployment compared to the national average of
Read MoreBudget: state employees to contribute additional 5 percent
From the governor’s office: State Employee Compensation Savings: To achieve $1.4 billion in General Fund savings, Governor Schwarzenegger proposed 15 percent reduction in state personnel costs achieved by modifying employee compensation and reducing our workforce budget. The changes to employee
Read More'Community groups' or union fronts?
National Public Radio’s KPCC reported today that “community groups” are planning to protest the governor’s plan to slash pay for government employees. It’s interesting to me that grassroots groups that ostensibly are there to help the poor are taking to
Read MoreCuts in state pay, benefits proposed
The Bee reported this morning that the governor “will propose ending fulroughs for state workers at the end of June but seek permanent pay cuts an dhigher employee retirement contributions in their place … .” Check out state salaries here.
Read MoreArnold to star in T5
My sources in Hollywood tell me that, after secret negotiations, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has agreed to star in “Terminator 5: The Governator.” Filming will start the day after he leaves office a year from now. He was reluctant to return
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