Budget and Finance

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Out-of-state prison costs soar

Jan. 26, 2010 By KATY GRIMES The price tag for California’s out-of-state prisoners has jumped in three years from $20 million in late 2006, to $630 million in 2009-10. The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) as well as

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California Jobs Gap Grows

Jan. 25, 2010 By JOHN SEILER In an earlier article I introduced a new measure of economic vitality: the Jobs Gap. It measures the difference between unemployment in California and the rest of the country. It thus factors out the

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CalPERS blames rating agencies

Jan. 21, 2010 By TROY ANDERSON In recent congressional hearings, inaccurate credit ratings were described as a major contributing factor in bringing the nation to the “brink of financial collapse.” In September, California Attorney General Jerry Brown opened an investigation

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No correlation between budgets and education

Jan. 20, 2010 There was a time, not so long ago, when California schools were the standard for all American schools, and California students excelled. Today, California hovers near the bottom of the heap. What happened? Until the 1970s, schools

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We're All Obstacles to Reform

Jan. 18, 2010 Technically speaking, it’s not hard to figure out how to solve California’s permanent fiscal crisis – if one neglects the political mountains that would have to be moved to implement the fixes. A few good starting points:

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Flat Tax idea revived

Jan. 15, 2010 By JOHN SEILER Challenging times demand innovative answers to problems. This is such a time for the California state budget, which has been chronically out of whack for a decade. The governor’s January budget proposal doesn’t make

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LAO’s budget reality check

Jan. 13, 2009 By JOHN SEILER Time for a reality check on the budget. That comes from the state Legislative Analyst’s Office, a non-partisan oasis in the middle of the partisan desert of state government. The LAO’s January 12 analysis

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California's jobs gap

Jan. 11, 2010 By JOHN SEILER California continues to stagger under unemployment levels higher than the national average. The latest figures, released on Dec. 18, 2009, show that the state suffered 12.3 percent unemployment compared to the national average of

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Change you can't believe in

Jan. 10, 2010 During Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s State of the State address last week, I wanted to shout “Blah, blah, blah” when he talked about the need for creating “jobs, jobs, jobs.” He’s had nearly two terms to stimulate jobs

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Dismal state

Jan. 9, 2010 Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s final State of the State address, delivered in the Capitol on Jan. 6, was the microcosm of his entire failed administration. It was a reminder that those who govern the nation’s most populous state

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