November 2014 | Page 4 of 12

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Upbeat LAO report lacks key focus: CalSTRS bailout cost

The Legislative Analyst’s Office released an analysis of state revenue this week that suggests the state won’t suffer when temporary tax hikes expire. This is from AP: SACRAMENTO — A steadily improving economy will buffer California’s budget from a drop

Pension crisis divides CA Dems on UC tuition hikes

James Poulos November 20, 2014

A 14-7 vote Thursday by the full University of California Board of Regents made it official: Golden State Democrats are deeply divided on tuition increases, thanks to the intractable politics of underfunded pensions. On one side are Democrats who favored the increases, including UC President Janet Napolitano,

CA budget worse despite $2 billion new revenue

Wayne Lusvardi November 20, 2014

California’s budget picture is sort of like that old Sandy Dennis high-school movie, “Up the Down Staircase.” Going up: Legislative Analyst Mac Taylor just reported tax receipts jumped $2 billion over projections in the fiscal 2014-15 budget the Legislature passed, and Gov.

What about that ‘global warming’?

John Seiler November 20, 2014

No wonder environmentalist extremists changed “global warming,” as in AB 32, the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006, to “climate change.” The Northeast has been blanked by record cold and snow that makes it easier for us to put up

Jerry Brown about to annihilate UC president on tuition hikes

Chris Reed November 20, 2014

Aficionados of California politics are going to be in for a fun exercise over the next month or two. Gov. Jerry Brown is absolutely going to annihilate UC President Janet Napolitano in their fight over her proposal to get UC

UC Regents approve tuition increase despite Gov. Brown objecting

Brian Calle November 19, 2014

A University of California Board of Regents committee voted to increase tuition at least 5 percent every year for five years despite widespread objection from students and Governor Jerry Brown. The vote was 7-2, with Brown, who serves as a

Obama poised to accelerate CA’s rolling amnesty

James Poulos November 19, 2014

Many Americans across the country have expressed uncertainty or alarm about president Obama’s executive action on immigration, which he will announce tomorrow. However, in California, where millions of illegal immigrants live, a semi-formal version of state-level amnesty has been gathering steam

CA work comp costs soaring

John Seiler November 19, 2014

Amid almost complete failure, the one signature achievement of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s seven years as governor was reform of the expensive workers compensation system. Now that’s gone. His other promises — to refuse to increase taxes and to “blow up the

Does Chiang top field of Dem hopefuls?

John November 18, 2014

Going by the metrics, John Chiang may be the strongest candidate to succeed Gov. Jerry Brown in 2018 or U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer in 2016. You’d never know it by the way the media have zeroed in on Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom and Attorney

Is local tax measure success a sign of things to come?

Joel Fox November 18, 2014

As usual, Michael Coleman’s California City Finance website has an excellent recap of local tax measures and how they fared in the recent election. Local ballots contained 268 revenue measures — tax increases, tax extensions or bonds — of which 189