Budget and Finance
Back to homepageSilicon Valley Flunks 6 'Killer App' Tests
MARCH 14, 2011 BY WAYNE LUSVARDI Last month with Silicon Valley elites, President Obama raised a glass of wine to toast the area’s success. He was repairing his self-damaged image with big business. But a symbolic Sword of Damocles hovered
Read MoreHow Much Do Pensions Really Cost?
MARCH 11, 2011 By ED RING Earlier this week the Sacramento Bee hosted a chat on the topic “Should States Rethink Collective Bargaining.” In addition to journalists from the Bee, participants included Steve Greenhut, editor of CalWatchdog.org, and Art Pulaski,
Read MoreCA 'Jobs Gap' Spikes Upward
MARCH 11, 2011 BY JOHN SEILER New unemployment figures released March 10 show that California’s Jobs Gap has jumped to 3.4 percent in January 2011. That’s up from 2.6 percent a year earlier, in January 2010. The “Jobs Gap” is
Read MoreGov. Brown's Hypocrisy Over Tax Votes
This article first appeared in the San Francisco Examiner MARCH 11, 2011 By STEVEN GREENHUT Republican efforts to trade a tax vote for a fiscal reform vote are going nowhere fast, as Gov. Jerry Brown continues to prove that he
Read MoreBrown's Tax Election Stalling
MARCH 8, 2011 BY JOHN SEILER A couple of days ago it seemed as though Gov. Jerry Brown had the needed GOP votes to slate a Special Election for June on increasing taxes. Now it seems he doesn’t. His deadline
Read MoreCosta Mesa Stands Up To Public Unions
MARCH 7, 2011 By LAER PEARCE The chambers were packed at Costa Mesa’s City Council meeting last Tuesday night, and understandably so. After all, the council was considering sending pink slips to 203 city employees – 43 percent of the
Read MoreIgnoring Pension Truth Tellers
MARCH 5, 2011 There’s no getting away from the pension issue these days or from the fact that the state’s pension system is on the brink of disaster unless pensions for state and local workers are pared back dramatically. The
Read MoreInflation Stalks CA Budgets
MARCH 4, 2011 BY JOHN SEILER Like a rerun of “That 70s Show,” inflation is back. And it’s hitting both personal and government budgets in California. The most obvious signal of renewed inflation is the rise in prices at the
Read MoreCPUC Floats $3.4 Billion Green Water Tax
MARCH 4, 2011 BY WAYNE LUSVARDI Call it the Green Water Tax. It’s a proposal advanced in a White Paper on the Web site of the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to impose a $3.4 billion surcharge on the energy-related costs
Read More'Calpetbaggers' Still Spiking Pensions
MARCH 2, 2011 BY WAYNE LUSVARDI Call them “Calpetbaggers.” They’re the 200 local governmental entities fingered in last week’s Little Hoover Commission’s pension report that have defiantly increased public pension benefits since 2008 — in the face of a $240 billion
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