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Update: State budget impasse already threatens $12 billion in payments |
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Posted by: mturnipseed on 09/04/2008 11:49 AM
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from Capitol Weekly
Update: State budget impasse already threatens $12 billion in payments
By Capitol Weekly Staff (
published Thursday, September 04, 2008)
California’s 2-month-old state budget impasse has blocked, cut or jeopardized nearly $12 billion in payments to community colleges, the courts, education, health care for the poor, college aid, mental health services, and thousands of state workers, according to state Controller John Chiang, who signs the state’s checks.
Chiang said that since July 1, when the 2008-09 fiscal year began, he has made some payments but been unable to make others, reflecting the mosaic of rules that surround California’s budgeting. The state’s spending obligations, although often simplified by political leaders during the heat of budget negotiations, actually is complex. Some spending, such as payments to K-12 education, are required by voter-approved constitutional rules or because of court orders; some are not. |
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Legislators work on bills but not budget |
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Posted by: mturnipseed on 08/08/2008 01:18 PM
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from SFgate.com
Legislators work on bills but not budget
Matthew Yi, San Francisco Chronicle Sacramento Bureau
Friday, August 8, 2008
Sacramento -- A day after Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger threatened not to sign legislation until lawmakers approve a budget, legislators debated and voted on hundreds of measures Thursday that were largely unrelated to the budget.
One bill that moved forward, and will likely land on the governor's desk next week, is supported by the governor and changes a $10 billion bond measure on the November ballot to fund high-speed rail from San Francisco to Southern California. |
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Democrats stalling on budget |
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Posted by: mturnipseed on 08/08/2008 12:54 PM
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from the Contra Costa Times.om
Republican leader: Democrats stalling on budget
By Steven Harmon, Sacramento Bureau
Article Launched: 08/07/2008 06:23:49 PM PDT
SACRAMENTO — Assembly Minority Leader Mike Villines on Thursday accused Democrats of stalling budget negotiations so they can avoid having to agree on a spending cap as part of reforms Republicans are seeking.
If the Legislature fails by midnight Aug. 16th to approve budget reform legislation — which would have to be done by a constitutional amendment — it would fail to make it onto the November ballot.
"I think they're trying to wait out the deadline to put anything on the ballot," said Villines, a Fresno Republican. "I believe this has been going on for a while. They're serious about it and they're showing it. They won't even bring up their own budget. I think you'll see them try to move the budget right after the deadline. |
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California's fiscal woes largely of its own making |
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Posted by: mturnipseed on 07/08/2008 12:05 AM
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From the Los Angeles Times
California's fiscal woes largely of its own making
The state faces a crisis, but many others are doing well. Much of the fault lies with . . . well, us.
By Evan Halper, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
July 7, 2008
SACRAMENTO — As Californians brace for big reductions in government services, the possibility of tax hikes and a long summer of budget bickering, they may be under the impression that everyone else is slogging through the same financial misery.
Not so.
Although the nation's sluggish economy and mortgage crisis have put the squeeze on a number of states, many are humming along fine, without dramatic measures to keep them in the black. Some even have multibillion-dollar surpluses. And almost none of the states that do have fiscal difficulties face shortfalls on the scale of California's.
Analysts say the state's troubles stem largely from its budget system -- the most dysfunctional in the country -- and they look to California as an example of how not to do things. In a recent ranking of state policies by the Pew Center on the States, California scored D+ on fiscal management. The average grade was B-.
"We have these problems that have long been understood, but we don't deal with them," said Jim Mayer, executive director of California Forward, a bipartisan think tank seeking to overhaul the budget process. "If we are going to fix this, we need to learn from what they have done in other places."
Of the 46 states that began their fiscal year on Tuesday, California is one of just four that still have no spending plan. Lawmakers are nowhere near agreement on how to patch a $15.2-billion shortfall, and the budget will probably include borrowing, accounting shifts and other maneuvers that make money managers cringe.
An outdated tax code, voter-approved initiatives that lock in billions of dollars for programs, inadequate oversight of spending and the lack of a substantial rainy-day fund all add to California's financial ills. Other states have addressed such issues with impressive results. But attempts at similar changes here routinely fall flat.
Virginia has achieved a balanced budget and a stellar credit rating by constantly updating its spending priorities, improving its tax system and setting funds aside to be tapped during hard economic times. The state is zealous about oversight, embedding independent investigators in state agencies to monitor how they are spending taxpayers' money. |
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Calif. budget deficit turns spotlight on Prop. 13 |
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Posted by: mturnipseed on 07/03/2008 01:36 PM
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from the San Diego Union-Tribune
Calif. budget deficit turns spotlight on Prop. 13
By Steve Lawrence, ASSOCIATED PRESS
July 2, 2008
SACRAMENTO – When winemaking giant E&J Gallo bought the Louis M. Martini Winery in 2002, it got a prestigious label, 1,735 acres of some of the best vineyards in Napa and Sonoma counties and a sweet tax break.
Critics cite that break as a prime example of one of the shortcomings of Proposition 13, the tax-cutting initiative approved by California voters in 1978.
The proposition rolled back property tax assessments to 1975 levels and limited annual increases to 2 percent or the change in the cost of living, whichever is less. It allows assessments to be brought up to market value when there is new construction or a change in ownership.
What Proposition 13 failed to do was clearly define what constitutes an ownership change for businesses, leaving an inviting loophole for those trying to lessen their tax burden. |
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Some state workers rake in 6-figure OT checks |
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Posted by: mturnipseed on 06/30/2008 11:38 AM
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from SFgate.com: Home of the San Francisco Chronicle
Some state workers rake in 6-figure OT checks
Erin McCormick, Chronicle Staff Writer
Monday, June 30, 2008
A nurse at a state prison in Monterey County collected $198,000 in overtime last year - bringing her total pay to more than $310,000.
The chief investment officer for the state's pension system earned $403,000 in bonuses - for a total paycheck of $945,000. |
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Economists predict more pain ahead but no recession |
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Posted by: mturnipseed on 06/18/2008 11:17 AM
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From the Los Angeles Times | THE ECONOMY
Economists predict more pain ahead but no recession
The UCLA Anderson Forecast says there will be little or no growth in GDP this year or next.
By Roger Vincent, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
June 18, 2008
Under pressure from falling home values, high oil prices and rising unemployment, the economy in California and the nation will perform anemically in the coming months -- but there still won't be an actual recession, UCLA forecasters say.
"I am holding on to what is now a shaky view: no recession this year," said economist Edward Leamer, director of the quarterly UCLA Anderson Forecast, which is being released today.
The predictions, however, call for somewhat more pain in the months ahead than previously forecast, with little improvement this year or next. |
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State Republicans seeks to roll back curbs on greenhouse gas emissions |
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Posted by: mturnipseed on 06/16/2008 12:59 PM
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From the Los Angeles Times | CALIFORNIA
State Republicans seeks to roll back curbs on greenhouse gas emissions
They hope to use their leverage over the state budget to change policies implemented by Democrats and the governor.
By Evan Halper, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
June 16, 2008
SACRAMENTO — California has a huge deficit, a looming cash crisis, an angry public and pressure to raise taxes -- and in this dismal state of affairs, the state's minority Republicans see opportunity.
GOP lawmakers hope to use their leverage over the state budget, which cannot pass without some of their votes, to roll back landmark policies implemented by Democrats and the governor. Among them are curbs on greenhouse gas emissions, regulations banning the dirtiest diesel engines and rules dictating when employers must provide lunch breaks for workers. |
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"Proposition 13 has a gold-plated name brand" |
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Posted by: mturnipseed on 06/06/2008 12:52 PM
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This story is taken from Sacbee / Politics.
Prop. 13 still liked, California Poll finds
By Andy Furillo - afurillo@sacbee.com
Published 12:00 am PDT Friday, June 6, 2008
Three decades after California voters passed Proposition 13, they still like the idea of the tax revolt they ignited.
In a new Field Poll, a survey of more than 1,000 registered voters found they support the iconic property tax reduction initiative by a ratio of more than 2-to-1.
"Proposition 13 has a gold-plated name brand," said Jon Coupal, president of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association. |
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Governor to issue drought decree, press for more conservation |
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Posted by: waznu on 06/04/2008 12:55 PM
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from signonsandiego.com, home of the San Diego Union-Tribune
Governor to issue drought decree, press for more conservation
By Michael Gardner, U-T SACRAMENTO BUREAU
June 4, 2008
SACRAMENTO – Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger will formally declare today that the state has plunged into a drought, putting Californians on notice that rationing could be next if conservation efforts are not stepped up.
“The governor is ringing the bell. We're heading over a cliff,” Lester Snow, director of the state Department of Water Resources, said in an exclusive interview with The San Diego Union-Tribune.
Schwarzenegger will issue an accompanying executive order to launch an aggressive campaign to transfer water to parched regions, pursue federal aid, quickly funnel more state money to conservation projects and to lay the foundation for a emergency water bank, beginning in 2009, that would be filled by supplies purchased from farmers. |
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