Budget and Finance

Caltrans releases optimistic, costly five-year plan to find thousands of lost holes

Caltrans finally provided a cost estimate for its plan to find and possibly seal thousands of improperly drilled holes throughout the state, indicating the program could be completed in a few years. But the disclosure left many questions unanswered. Two years ago, Caltrans admitted

Gov. Brown: No new spending

Matt Fleming May 13, 2016

Gov. Jerry Brown on Friday repeatedly warned against new spending programs as he introduced his revised budget, heeding advice from Moody’s and others to bunker down and prepare for an eventual economic downturn. While the state’s finances have substantially improved from the

Is the state stubbornly running toward financial trouble?

Matt Fleming May 10, 2016

It’s politically popular to rail on the One Percent and demand top earners pay their “fair share.” But they actually already pay a large share, fair or not, which analysts predict could be disastrous to California in the event of an

Caltrans requesting millions to “resolve” decades of improper drilling

Matt Fleming May 9, 2016

Two years after admitting it defied state and local laws protecting against groundwater contamination for nearly a quarter century, Caltrans has yet to disclose how much it will cost to “resolve” the thousands of improperly-drilled and improperly-sealed exploratory wells throughout the state. CalWatchdog has

Lawmakers take step toward retirement fund for all Californians

Matt Fleming March 29, 2016

State policy makers on Monday inched closer to a state-run retirement system for workers who don’t have access to employer-run accounts. Secure Choice, if implemented, would require employers of five or more people to automatically enroll employees into portable retirement

Lawsuit argues CA education spending is constitutionally insufficient

Chris Reed February 25, 2016

When it comes to lawsuits arguing that California’s education system is unfair and unconstitutional, the Vergara v. California case has gotten the most attention. A court hearing Thursday in Los Angeles began the state government’s appeal of Superior Court Judge

CA still struggling with unfunded liabilities

James Poulos February 21, 2016

Despite a concerted effort from Gov. Jerry Brown to keep California from slipping back into the financial abyss, the state’s finances remain threatened by massive unfunded obligations. “It’s California’s debt and liabilities that are concerning financial analysts, particularly the state’s rapidly

LAO: Teacher pension fund too risky and complex

Matt Fleming February 5, 2016

Policy analysts are calling on state lawmakers to simplify the way the teachers’ pension fund gets funded — to improve oversight and to avoid the state being left in a lurch. According to the non-partisan Legislative Analyst’s Office, the “subjective” funding

County payroll hikes stay ahead of population increases

Steve Miller January 30, 2016

Sierra County, tucked in the foothills once traversed by the Donner Party along the Nevada border, has seen its population dip 7 percent since 2010 to 3,000 souls. Meantime, though, the county’s payroll increased from $7 million in 2013 to

State may face $29-43 billion budget deficit in 2020

Dave Roberts January 26, 2016

In Gov. Jerry Brown’s State of the State Address last week, he noted that California’s budget has repeatedly failed to prepare for recession, resulting in “painful and unplanned-for cuts” to schools, child care, courts, social services and other programs. He