Budget and Finance
Back to homepageLos Angeles teeters on the brink of bankruptcy
Editor’s Note: This is the Tenth in a CalWatchDog.com Special Series of in-depth articles on municipal bankruptcy Nov. 13, 2012 By Brian Calle Taxpayers in Los Angeles are facing a major crisis if Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and other officials do not begin
Read MoreBankruptcy Series: Cities on a future spending spree
Editor’s Note: This is the eighth in a CalWatchDog.com Special Series of in-depth articles on municipal bankruptcy. Nov. 9, 2012 By Wayne Lusvardi Are the staggering forecasted public pension obligations facing state and local governments in California the result of overspending or
Read MoreRomney passes education test, Obama flunks
Nov. 5, 2012 By Lance Izumi In the presidential debates and in recent interviews, it’s clear that Mitt Romney realizes something that President Obama can’t seem to fathom: the federal government is not the nation’s school board. In the third
Read MoreCalifornia politicians love to tax like the French
Nov. 4, 2012 By Chriss Street Support for Proposition 30, the income and sales tax increase touted by Gov. Jerry Brown, has fallen below the critical 50 percent needed for passage for the first time in the California Field Poll.
Read MoreBanner story on dubious Prop. 30 threat doesn’t mention CTA!
Nov. 4, 2012 By Chris Reed Early last week, an analysis I wrote for CalWatchdog questioned the central narrative of Proposition 30: that if it failed, there would be billions of dollars in automatic “trigger” cuts in public education. “At
Read MoreAbout time: Bipartisan anger over political use of public funds
Nov. 3, 2012 By Chris Reed Everywhere one looks in California, school districts are openly using government resources to lobby for Prop. 30, and supporters of the tax-hike measure don’t care if it is against the law. Situational ethics on
Read MorePlaying dumb on why students are charged illegal fees
Nov. 1, 2012 Chris Reed: I think some of the best writing about California’s public schools appears on education-specific blogs and websites, not in newspapers. I’ve read EdSource regularly for a long time. But these sites also serve up lots
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