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Back to homepageIs FI$Cal doomed?
And now it’s time to talk about the Financial Information System for California, which is known colloquially by the obscenely cutesy acronym FI$Cal. It doesn’t get a lot of press, but this project—conceived back in 2007 as an “historic partnership” between
Read MoreWhere's Marty?
Just sat in on a 3:30 pm conference call sponsored by the Governor’s Office of External Affairs. Brand new Finance Director Ana Matosantos was there, as was Labor Department Director Vicky Bradshaw. Matosantos spoke quickly, throwing out a lot of
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Arnold's budget: More cuts needed
I’m working on a longer piece on Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s 2010-11 budget proposal [pdf]. My preliminary thoughts: It’s a start on reducing a projected $19.9 billion deficit. It cuts spending an additional $8.5 billion, shifts $4.5 billion in spending, and
Read MoreDebra Saunders: Arnold a flop
One of my favorite columnists is Debra Saunders of Chronicle. She’s survived the ongoing demise of newspapers, at least so far. Her take on Arnold’s State of the State address is similar to mine (which was published yesterday in our
Read MoreWhat about Bob?
Last night FlashReport posted this item saying State Senator Bob Dutton (R, Riverside, San Bernardino) will be the next Senate Republican Leader. “This is great news as Dutton is a solid conservative who will provide strong leadership for his caucus,”
Read More40,697 new commandments
H.L. Mencken once quipped, “Say what you will about the Ten Commandments, at least there are only ten of them.” Politicans, considering themselves gods, naturally seek to improve upon the Almighty’s work. Last year alone, state governments imposed 40,697 new
Read MoreState of the State
The Governor is talking proudly about America’s war veterans and his recent trip to Iraq to visit the troops. Glad he spoke of the need to take care of the returning veterans. This was a speech of optimism, it was
Read MoreState of the State
The Governor just addressed the unfairness of some states getting sweetheart deals on health care, while California pays for it. He is talking about his optimism for California. I didn’t know that in 2008, California attracted more venture capital than
Read MoreState of the State
“The worst is over the the California economy.” That statement cause a few raised eyebrows in the room. Interestingly, the overflow room did not fill up, but people are still trickling in. Is it my imagination, or is the Governor’s
Read MoreState of the State
The Governor, addressing the legislature, said they closed a budget gap of $60 billion last year. Announced that last night they passed major educational reform — “Parents now have the means to get rid of incompetent principals…” Now on to
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