Prop 98 in a Budget Tug-of-War
Predictions from the Legislative Analyst that the state will have more revenue than the governor projects in his May budget revision — with most of the money going to the schools under the provisions of Prop 98 — could set up a spending tug-of-war with Prop 98 in the middle. Passed in 1988, Prop 98 […]
Californians, Please Visit Your Water
There’s consensus that California needs a big new deal to govern water. There’s no consensus on what should be in it. Habitat restoration? Rebuilt levees to withstand earthquakes? Or new tunnels to divert water from the Sacramento River to farmers and cities in Southern California? These are all possibilities for the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, […]
LA is B-R-O-K-E
Even the most casual observer knows the City is cooking the books. We are all familiar with the angst associated with the annual budget. But this year is a cake walk as General Fund revenues are projected to increase by $325 million, accompanied by unanticipated pension savings of over $50 million. But the Mayor’s budget […]
Six Bills Would Make It Easier to Pass Tax Increases
SACRAMENTO — The Senate Governance and Finance Committee on Wednesday passed six constitutional amendments to make it easier for local voters to pass various tax increases on property owners. “California didn’t knowingly vote for centralized power,” said Sen. Lois Wolk, D-Davis, speaking about the passage of Proposition 13 in 1978, as she opened the committee […]
Pension Measure Wave Crests, Court Slog Remains
One of the first local ballot measures aimed at cutting public pension costs, a cap on Pacific Grove payments to CalPERS approved by voters three years ago, was ruled unconstitutional by a Monterey County superior court judge last week. Judge Thomas Wills ruled Friday that Measure R violated the contract clause of the state constitution, […]