Budget and Finance
Back to homepageCalPERS seeks to be new California ‘Octopus’
Dec. 17, 2012 By Wayne Lusvardi In 1901, Frank Norris wrote a novel, “The Octopus: A Story of California.” The book became famous for its description of the monopolistic Southern and Pacific Railroad that dominated California a century ago. Fast-forward to
Read MoreCalPERS’ new shtick: Ripping CalPERS = ripping retirees. Groan.
Dec. 17, 2012 By Chris Reed The California Public Employees’ Retirement System is a piece of work. For years, it has downplayed the pension crisis, ignored its central role in the crisis by encouraging a 50 percent retroactive giveaway to
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Teacher unions the enemies of ‘social justice,’ not the champions
Dec. 14, 2012 By Chris Reed Here’s the intro to my take for City Journal on the absurdity of the California Federation of Teachers pretending to care about minorities. “The online premiere last week of the California Federation of Teachers’
Read MoreCA state budget goes off the cliff
Dec. 12, 2012 By Chriss Street California State Controller John Chiang announced that total State revenue for the month of November 2012 fell $806.8 million, or 10.8 percent, below budget. Democrats thought they could hammer “the rich” by convincing voters
Read MoreWillie Brown wants to gut Prop. 13
Dec. 10, 2012 By Wayne Lusvardi Willie Brown just reminded us why in 1990 voters passed term limits largely to move him out of his seat as California Assembly-Speaker-for-Life. Brown wrote that Prop. 13 should be reformed by “cleverly” by making “a
Read MoreNanny staters’ school lunch debacle, chapter 237
Dec. 10, 2012 By Chris Reed This Associated Press story about student uprisings against federal school-lunch rules is one more reminder of how oblivious the statist left is about how people think. Of course kids want filling meals — not
Read MoreWill school finance scams be addressed? One of two at best
Dec. 9, 2012 By Chris Reed The push is on to gut Proposition 13, with the nominal rationale being the urgent need to help public education by making it easier to pass parcel taxes. But will the Democratic lawmakers behind
Read MorePoll Softening Up Voters For Split Roll Tax
Dec. 8, 2012 By Wayne Lusvardi “Ignorance is strength.” –- George Orwell California’s opinion polling has deteriorated to “measuring the public’s satisfaction with its ignorance” fed to them by pollsters. That is the only conclusion that can be made from
Read MoreEdSource look at superintendent turnover ignores union elephant
Dec. 8, 2012 By Chris Reed There are none so blind as those who will not see. EdSource does a 1,500-word analysis of a new study showing far higher turnover of superintendents in large school districts than smaller ones in
Read MoreSchools chief who tolerates bond scams wants to float own bond
Dec. 5, 2012 By Chris Reed The use of 30-year school “construction” bonds to pay for routine maintenance and short-lived electronics like laptops is a huge, ongoing, but basically uncovered scandal in California. Since automatic annual pay raises for most
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