Budget and Finance
Back to homepageCA fire chiefs warn state fire tax will hurt, not help
April 12, 2013 By Dave Roberts The $89 million annual fire prevention fee imposed on rural Californians for the first time last year could, ironically, increase the chance that their houses will burn down in the event of a fire.
Read MoreCA comeback mostly about shifting funds around
April 10, 2013 By Wayne Lusvardi Paul Krugman wrote in the New York Times an article, “Lessons from a Comeback.” However, a comeback for state government should not be confused with an economic or jobs recovery. A number of liberal, conservative and moderate
Read MoreJudge: Stockton can go belly up
April 2, 2013 By John Seiler It’s official: The city of Stockton is bankrupt. On April 1, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Christopher Klein ruled that Stockton’s bankruptcy can proceed. “It’s apparent to me the city would not be able to perform
Read MorePensions at heart of bankruptcy
April 1, 2013 By Steven Greenhut SACRAMENTO — Few nonlocal people typically pay much attention to the goings-on in Stockton, a hard-pressed Gold Rush-era industrial city of about 300,000 that sits in the agriculturally rich San Joaquin Valley, at the
Read MoreRedevelopment 2.0 keeps flaws of the old redevelopment
This is Part Two of a two-part series. Part One is here. March 29, 2013 By Wayne Lusvardi Los Angeles-based redevelopment expert Larry Kosmont is marketing his Redevelopment 2.0 idea as a way to compete with other states that currently are
Read MoreRedevelopment 2.0 won’t rejuvenate ‘old factory belts’
This is Part One of a two-part series. Part Two is here. March 28, 2013 By Wayne Lusvardi Redevelopment 1.0 died statewide in 2011 when Gov. Jerry Brown phased it out, mainly because it was robbing local school districts of
Read MoreIt’s alive: Anti-tax cut bill returns
March 28, 2013 By Dave Roberts It’s alive. Similar to a bill narrowly defeated last year, SCA 6 is by Sen. Mark DeSaulnier, D-Concord. Taxpayer advocates fear the bill could make it difficult, perhaps impossible, to cut or limit taxes through the initiative process.
Read MoreAttack of the artificial crises
March 25, 2013 By Steven Greenhut SACRAMENTO — Not many of my friends or neighbors are sitting on pins and needles, worrying that the world as we know it will end as the federal government “slashes” spending as part of the
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