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DWP employees paid up to three times that of private sector

A new study by the California Policy Center found that employees at the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power make up to nearly three times the pay of their private-sector equivalents: “The largest premiums are found in generic jobs

Solar panels might not help home values

John Seiler March 30, 2015

Putting solar panels on home roofs is the rage in California with all our sunshine. But it might not help home values if the panels are leased. The problem is the new owner, in addition to qualifying for the mortgage,

Four bills could wrap charter schools in red tape

John Seiler March 29, 2015

Since their introduction in California 23 years ago, charter schools have grown like kudzu. According to the California Charter Schools Association, the state now boasts 1,184 charter schools, teaching an estimated 547,800 students. Charters are public schools that generally work

Tax break could help quake-proof buildings

John Seiler March 28, 2015

Governments use tax breaks to encourage activity. In California, that includes driving electric vehicles and making movies. Now a 30 percent tax break might be given to those retrofitting older buildings to make them quake-proof. Assembly Bill 428 is by

Detroit sends CA another bankruptcy warning

John Seiler March 27, 2015

The Stockton and San Bernardino bankruptcies in 2012 were the largest for cities in American history — until Detroit in 2013. State laws and situations differ. But there’s a new warning from Detroit for California’s municipal governments, especially as bankruptcy courts

CA prisoner population down, guard pay up

John Seiler March 26, 2015

Federal court orders forced California to cut its number of prisoners. That resulted in Gov. Jerry Brown’s 2011 “realignment” program, which mainly shifted prisoners to local jails. Yet overall state prison-guard compensation is up sharply. Reported the San Diego U-T: Overtime

Looks like Gov. Brown isn’t running for president

John Seiler March 25, 2015

With Gov. Jerry Brown, you never really know. But it looks like he really isn’t running for president. Of course, in his three charges at the Oval Office — in 1976, 1980 and 1992 — he started late, surged to

CA boosts film subsidies while Michigan could cut them

John Seiler March 24, 2015

Last September, Gov. Jerry Brown signed a $330 million film subsidy bill to help Hollywood fend off subsidies from other states. He said, “Today, we remind the world that the Golden State is the home of the silver screen. This bill

Analysis: Which proposed bills help, hinder, small businesses

John Seiler March 23, 2015

Among the approximately 2,000 bills considered in the California Legislature this year, many affect small businesses. Here’s the analysis of four by the National Federation of Independent Business California: Assembly Bill 23 and Senate Bill 5, the Affordable Gas Tax for Families

Auditor scolds state on state computer disasters

John Seiler March 22, 2015

A longtime theme of CalWatchdog.com has been the numerous computer disasters of the California government, in juxtaposition to the computer and Internet revolutions that have taken place in the state. State Auditor Elaine M. Howle just released a comprehensive report scolding