Budget and Finance
Back to homepageCalif. retiree health care time bomb is ticking
Aug. 3, 2012 By Dave Roberts When discussing California’s exorbitant benefits for state government employees that are threatening to bankrupt the state, much of the focus has been on pensions. And rightly so, with estimates of the unfunded pension liability
Read MoreCalif. default risk turns Gov. Brown into a capitalist
Aug. 2, 2012 By Chriss Street There is nothing like the threat of insolvency and a downgrade to junk bond status to motivate traditionally liberal politicians to abandon the environmentalists who heavily fund their campaigns. Last week, Gov. Jerry Brown
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Video: Steve Forbes on California, the Pickpocket State
Aug. 2, 2012 By Brian Calle Magazine publisher and former presidential candidate Steve Forbes talks with me about “the Pickpocket State” — California.
Read MoreFund transfers are purging earmarks from state budget
Aug. 1, 2012 By Wayne Lusvardi Is the scandal over the State Parks Director Ruth Coleman hiding $54 million in plain sight in a special fund account beginning to make the public aware of all the political earmarks in the
Read MoreBankruptcy: Report warned of San Bernardino fiscal foolishness
July 27, 2012 By Tori Richards SAN BERNARDINO — Five years before San Bernardino became California’s third city seeking bankruptcy protection in 2012, a 266-page management analysis report warned of dire repercussions if changes weren’t made that would cut costs
Read MoreOfficials’ foolishness slams cities
July 23, 2012 By Steven Greenhut SACRAMENTO — First, Vallejo, in 2008. Next, Stockton, then Mammoth Lakes and, now, San Bernardino and soon, perhaps, Compton. As Orange County Supervisor John Moorlach told Bloomberg News, the bankruptcy dominoes are starting to
Read MoreSalaries, mistakes slammed San Bernardino into bankruptcy
July 20, 2012 By Tori Richards SAN BERNARDINO — The bankrupt city of San Bernardino has displayed its shortcomings in a 54-page report that outlines myriad areas where ineptitude has placed them in a position where they cannot meet payroll
Read MoreCalifornia’s credit rating could get even worse
July 17, 2012 By Joseph Perkins California’s rock-bottom credit rating has been attributed in some quarters to the state’s most recent economic downturn, from which Gov. Jerry Brown said this past spring, “We are still recovering.” But a new study
Read MoreShould San Berdoo cherry pick underwater mortgages?
July 13, 2012 By Wayne Lusvardi What a ripoff. San Bernardino County wants to use eminent domain to let a private mortgage lender cherry pick “underwater” mortgages without paying damages to the lenders. Doing so supposedly would stimulate the resale
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