Budget and Finance
Back to homepageLegislators make new push to gut Prop. 13
Dec. 27, 2012 By Katy Grimes The final votes from the November election were not even counted before state Sen. Mark Leno, D-San Francisco, introduced a constitutional amendment to Proposition 13 to forever alter the landmark tax-revolt measure. Let the debate begin.
Read MoreSan Bernardino may have to pay pensions before police protection
Dec. 26, 2012 By Wayne Lusvardi Do pension payments have the first claim to a bankrupt city’s revenues, even over providing essential police and fire protection? This is the half-trillion-dollar question currently before a Federal bankruptcy court concerning the insolvency
Read MoreCalifornia encourages business flight
Dec. 21, 2012 By Joseph Perkins Employees at Chevron’s San Ramon corporate headquarters received an unexpected email yesterday. It notified them that a quarter of their jobs are being moved from California to Texas. The oil giant, the Golden State’s
Read MoreEconomist outlines CA road to prosperity
Dec. 20, 2012 By Katy Grimes SACRAMENTO — California’s economy isn’t dead — yet. With a few smart, pro-growth policy changes, California could get back in the game and be the economic leader it once was, Jonathan Williams told me
Read MoreSchool bond abuses: Ignoring the motive behind the scandals
Dec. 19, 2012 By Chris Reed The California media are finally beginning to figure out that school bonds are being abused, with money being borrowed on horrible terms or with funds being spent on things that school bonds historically have
Read MoreCA public worker pay soars to unsustainable levels
Dec. 19, 2012 By Wayne Lusvardi Last week Bloomberg News reported that California has the highest paid state workers in the 12 largest states by population. But that didn’t tell the entire story. Sure, California has the highest paid public
Read MoreReality could stifle Prop. 13 reform attempts
Dec. 18, 2012 By Wayne Lusvardi and Charles B. Warren California legislators from San Francisco are “eager to reform Proposition 13 tax policies.” But public perception is far apart from reality when it comes to the proposed reforming of Prop.
Read MoreStarving CA govt. begins to devour itself
Dec. 18, 2012 By Mark Cabaniss Caught between rising pension costs and declining tax receipts, several local governments in California have gone bankrupt, including the city of San Bernardino, which has stopped making its required contributions to the California Public
Read MoreLAUSD board confirms its union-occupied status
Dec. 18, 2012 By Chris Reed When I heard that the Los Angeles Unified school board had passed a resolution barring its superintendent from seeking grants without board approval, I was 10,000 percent certain it was because John Deasy had
Read MoreMore ‘educators,’ less education
Dec. 17, 2012 By Katy Grimes I attended California public schools, kindergarten through college, starting in the late 1960s through the mid 1980s. While I don’t claim to have received a brilliant education, I did receive a solid liberal arts
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