Budget and Finance

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The Unserious State

MAY 31, 2010 The Australian radio announcer interviewing me last week about the dreadful state of California’s budget and economy wanted to know what she would find if she landed at LAX and drove around the state. It’s not like

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State to foist inmates on counties

MAY 27, 2010 By LAURA SUCHESKI Although state legislators say that state-to-county unfunded mandates are illegal, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger wants to use an exemption in sentencing laws to force counties to take title to state law offenders. On Wednesday, the

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CA budget tops sensible limits

MAY 27, 2010 By JOHN SEILER Budget time. So I thought I would revisit an analytical tool I devised a few years ago to help better understand the California state budget. Back in the early 2000s, I was pouring over

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Union bill would block city bankruptcies

MAY 25, 2010 By KATY GRIMES A union-backed Assembly bill, authored by Assemblyman Tony Mendoza, D-Artesia, would potentially prevent financially destitute California cities from filing for federal bankruptcy protection under Chapter 9 of the bankruptcy code. Mendoza’s bill would give

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Grab redevelopment cash

MAY 24, 2010 Few things are more ironic, and infuriatingly funny, than listening to California’s notoriously ham-fisted redevelopment agencies complain about the state’s “theft” of redevelopment funds. Last week, California cities had to comply with a Sacramento Superior Court judge’s

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Cal Jobs Gap widens in 2010

MAY 24, 2010 By JOHN SEILER Instead of bashing one another for past liberal postures, Meg Whitman and Steve Poizner should be talking about the California Jobs Gap. Jerry Brown should be, too. There’s no more important issue today, especially

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CA debates outsourcing inmates

MAY 21, 2010 By KATY GRIMES In what felt more like a night court at times than a Capitol hearing room,with scores of state employees noisily filing in and out during a budget hearing, the Department of Finance, and the

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Workers comp needs market reform

MAY 21, 2010 The subject of workers compensation reform appears on the surface to be an issue only pertinent to employers and business owners. However, nothing could be further from reality. If more employees paid attention to employer regulations, fees

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Governor adopts budget realism

MAY 14, 2010 By JOHN SEILER The party’s over. That’s the message from Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s austere May Revise, released today, of his budget for fiscal 2010-11, which begins on July 1. It calls for cutting $3 billion from state

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Dour governor pitches deep cuts

MAY 14, 2010 By STEVEN GREENHUT At a press conference at 1 pm today, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger released a May budget revise that attempts to close a nearly $20 billion budget gap by slashing state welfare programs while maintaining current-year

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