Posts From CalWatchdog Staff
Back to homepage
CalWatchdog Staff
California pension Death Star approaching
Jan. 18, 2013 By Chriss Street When Moody’s Investors Services issued a “Request for Comment” last July about their plan to begin recalculating the effect of massive state and local unfunded pension liabilities on credit quality, I warned that this
Read MoreState Senate Democrats Crack Down on Fracking
Jan. 18, 2013 By Dave Roberts Despite the more than three-decade safety record of hydraulic fracturing in California, Democrats served notice last week that they will be cracking down on the energy-production method in the coming year. The frack fight
Read MoreParcel tax push: School finance debate must not ignore scandals
Jan. 17, 2013 By Chris Reed If we are going to have a debate about school finances in California because of the Legislature’s interest in making it easier for school districts to get parcel taxes approved to boost their budgets,
Read MoreProductivity slowing — bad news for budgets
Jan. 17, 2013 By John Seiler Both the U.S. and California budgets depend on continuing economic growth. Gov. Jerry Brown has cautioned that his ambitious spending plan could fall apart if growth slows. This just in: “Global productivity growth has
Read MoreSkelton: taxtaxtaxtaxtaxtaxtaxtaxtaxtaxtaxtax
Jan. 17, 2013 By John Seiler Here at CalWatchDog.com, I’ve chronicled L.A. Times columnist George Skelton’s tax obsession. There he goes again: “SACRAMENTO — Gov. Jerry Brown wants to help inner-city schools at the expense of suburbanites. But there must be a
Read More
Video: What gun-controllers need…
Jan. 17, 2013 By John Seiler If you favor gun control, here’s what you need. No excuses.
Read MoreTwo Critical Budget Dates Approaching
Jan. 17, 2013 By John Seiler On PBS NewsHour yesterday evening, Gov. Jerry Brown enthused about his new budget: “The budget is fixed. I inherited a $27 billion deficit. That’s what it was two years ago. “And that’s gone. This
Read MoreMunicipal Bankruptcy Can Restore Financial Stability
Jan. 17, 2013 By Todd C. Ringstad The threat of bankruptcy still haunts California. State and municipal finances have been improving, yet last year three cities filed for Chapter 9 bankruptcy: Stockton, San Bernardino and Mammoth Lakes. Around the country,
Read MoreTeacher puzzler: Part-time porn star fired, semen-feeder paid off
Jan. 16,2013 By Chris Reed It turns out that school districts in the state of California can swiftly fire teachers who engage in lewd behavior — but only if it’s a paid part-time job, not incidents in school involving students.
Read More