Maybe Chiang should switch to Mac?
State Controller John Chiang, who last week announced his intent to ignore the Governor’s Executive Order reducing the salaries of state employees to the federal minimum wage during the budget impasse, issued a new statement this morning — he claims that even if he wanted to comply with the Governor’s order, the ‘antiquated’ computer system used by the state to manage and issue payroll would not allow it.
I don’t ever recall reading about the payroll system causing a 6-9 month delay in processing wage and salary increases for the state’s workforce — maybe the delay only occurs in one direction?
Nonetheless, I do understand how such a change could be so complex. Sure, updating 200,000 database records is considered a fairly straightforward function in the technology world and likely requires so little processing power that your average Blackberry, iPhone or graphing calculator could accomplish the task within the requisite timeframe, but we must be careful not to expect too much all at once.
Here’s a suggestion for the Controller – maybe it’s time to switch?
Will Independent Voters be the Key for Assembly Democrats Bid for a Super-Majority in November?
I have previously posted two articles on this site discussing the odds of the Democratic Party being able to achieve a veto-proof “supermajority” in the Senate or Assembly.
This would require the Democrats to gain two new seats in the Senate and six new seats in the Assembly.
Due to the Democrats’ failed attempt at recalling GOP Senator Jeff Denham last June, and no Democrat filing to run against GOP Senator Abel Maldonado – allowing him to run unopposed in November – the chances of Senate Democrats gaining two seats are all but nil.
On the Assembly side, the California Target Book, a non-partisan publication that analyses and handicaps legislative races in this state (which I publish), is tracking six assembly districts that are currently being held by a Republican that are believed to be at the top of the Democratic Target List.
The six districts are: AD’s 10, 15, 26, 37, 78 and 80.
I’m from L.A. — Tax Me
Taxpayers in the Los Angeles area are facing an amazing array of tax increase proposals on the November ballot. The question is how will voters respond when faced with multiple requests for more of their dollars?
The MTA wants a ½-cent sales tax hike for thirty years to cover various transportation projects. When implemented (if passed), L.A.’s sales tax will be 8.75%. That assumes there will be no state sales tax increase that may come along in a state budget deal. If that happens, along with a successful MTA sales tax increase, Los Angeles residents will be looking at a sales tax over 9%. A quick search reveals that only certain parts of Tennessee have a sales tax above 9%, but Tennessee has a small income tax, taxing income only derived from dividends and interest.
The City of Los Angeles put a $36 dollar a year parcel tax on the ballot to fund anti-gang programs. No question the gang problem is serious and must be met. But city officials are just now trying to coordinate better oversight on current gang program funds. Many programs will be brought under the Mayor’s office. Some observers claim the reorganization of current gang programs should be given a chance to work before new funding is called for.
California Must Modernize Its System of “Direct Democracy” To Bring It into the 21st Century
Ballot initiatives have reshaped the lives of California citizens for almost 100 years, but the initiative process is now outmoded, complex, difficult for citizens to use and excessively dominated by money. In a new report by our organization, the Center for Governmental Studies (CGS), Democracy by Initiative: Shaping California’s Fourth Branch of Government, we conclude that California must update its system of “direct democracy” to bring it into the 21st Century. Reforms are needed to help citizens draft, circulate and vote more effectively and responsibly on initiatives that can dramatically affect the future of the state.
Initiatives have touched nearly all aspects of California life, from law enforcement to taxation to education. However, the process is almost the same as it was when Hiram Johnson proposed it in 1911.
Initiatives have appeared on the ballot in great numbers in the last few decades and initiatives continue to be a popular mode of policymaking in the state. In the 1990s, for example, 61 initiatives qualified for the ballot. Voters approved 39 percent of those measures. The number of ballot initiatives continues to climb. From 2000–2008, 63 initiatives qualified for the ballot. Voters approved 30 percent of those measures.