budget | Page 2 of 33 | CalWatchdog.com

Tag "budget"

Medi-Cal boom squeezes CA health care

Although California officials insisted that expanding Medi-Cal coverage has been an economic boon, critics and Sacramento Republicans warned that the program’s staggering growth has created a costly, nettlesome problem for a state already strapped with challenges. The Golden State has seen

CA fiscal health ranks 44th in country

Josephine Djuhana July 8, 2015

In fiscal year 2013-14, California saw a slight uptick in the condition of its fiscal health, based on fiscal solvency metrics as reported by the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. California placed 44th among U.S. states for fiscal health,

CA expands health entitlements

James Poulos July 3, 2015

As California included some unlawful immigrants in Medi-Cal, its version of the Medicaid program, a new study suggested that, nationwide, that population is holding down the costs of health entitlements. The findings promised to sharpen the debate over immigration reform and its connection to

How will business lobby influence special session on transportation funds?

Joel Fox July 1, 2015

Governor Jerry Brown called special sessions to find permanent revenue sources to fund transportation infrastructure and Medi-Cal. The issue of keeping up with deteriorating roads has been a special concern to the business community and Brown is counting on business

CA incentives reel back film and TV production

James Poulos June 28, 2015

Hollywood could soon reclaim its once-shaky status as America’s production headquarters. After a near panic touched off by a nationwide spending spree on state incentives for film and television production, programs around the country have begun scaling back or shutting down altogether, leaving California

Medi-Cal boom strains doctors and budgets

James Poulos June 13, 2015

With Medicaid eligibility expanded nationwide under the Affordable Care Act, Medi-Cal enrollees have discovered that care in California is not keeping up with increased demand. “Today, more than 12 million Californians, nearly one-third of the state’s total population, are enrolled in the

CA Dems pressure Brown on spending

James Poulos June 10, 2015

New budget deadline, same budget battle. That could be the watchword for Sacramento this week, as leading Democrats in the Assembly and the Senate labored on a spending plan that could survive the governor’s scrutiny. Equipped with a line-item veto, which allows

Ex-Brown adviser: ‘powerful interests’ run state

John Seiler February 4, 2015

Most Californians sense that special interests, not voters, run the state. That’s why voter turnout hit record lows last November. And it’s why the Legislature scores so low on opinion polls. A PPIC survey last year found only 36 percent

Leg Analyst: School reserves law not working

John Seiler January 23, 2015

Whether finances are personal, business or government, having a reserve makes sense. You never know when an emergency might crop up and you’ll need the funds. Indeed, last November voters approved Proposition 2, which increased the state’s “rainy day” fund

Brown’s budget draws careful criticism

James Poulos January 10, 2015

Fresh from his historic inauguration to a fourth term as governor, Jerry Brown unveiled his proposed 2015 budget with a Friday press conference that swiftly attracted reactions from Sacramento and beyond. All told, Brown envisions a general fund totaling $113.3 billion.