CalWatchdog Morning Read – January 12

• Minimum wage savings for the state mean multi-million dollar burden for counties
• Foreclosures shrink to 11-year low
• Brown withholds school bond funds without oversight plan in place
• Planned Parenthood worried about Washington
• 42 percent of state out of drought

Good morning. TGIT. We have some good news and some bad news. 

The good news: Last year’s deal to increase the minimum wage won’t cost the state nearly as much as was projected. 

The bad news: Providing certain health care services just became way more expensive for counties. 

The Brown administration is ending a program that coordinated care for seniors and low-income families because it was no longer cost effective. As a result, the state will save $626 million this year, forcing counties to pick up the check. 

CalWatchdog has more. 

In other news:

• Foreclosures: “New housing data show foreclosure activity in California dropped to an 11-year low in 2016. But the state is still working through a backlog of homes purchased with bad loans during the last housing bubble.” Capital Public Radio has more. 

• School bond oversight: “Gov. Jerry Brown, who last year registered deep skepticism about the $9 billion statewide school construction bond, is withholding the proceeds until the Legislature approves more rigorous independent auditing procedures.” The Sacramento Bee has more. 

• Battle with the feds: “California is friendly territory, but a national defunding push worries Planned Parenthood,” writes the Los Angeles Times. 

• Drought: “A year ago this week, only 3 percent of the state was classified as not being in drought conditions. But now because of this winter’s soaking, 42 percent is.” The San Jose Mercury News has more. 

Legislature:

• Back on Friday. 

Gov. Brown:

• Speaking at MLK breakfast for the Legislative Black Caucus at 8 a.m. in Sacramento. 

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