It’s a New Day for California Labor
When workers for the Bay Area Rapid Transit system went back to work Friday after a four-day strike, Gov. Jerry Brown earned a piece of both the credit and the blame. First the good news. Brown, working with Marty Morgenstern, his labor secretary, managed to convince both workers and BART management that it would be […]
The Anomaly of the Voting Rights Act – And a Special Election
The US Supreme Court’s decision on Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act stirred up a lot of controversy over voting rights in the Southern states that it mostly covered, but completely overlooked was its strange impact on California elections. Section 5 required certain states and counties to submit election law changes to the US […]
Gov. Brown’s Realignment Broken Promises Endanger Public Safety
The state’s failure to provide notice to counties when releasing dangerous, violent felons is the latest broken promise of the Governor’s realignment program that endangers public safety. Governor Brown has the ability to immediately reduce prison overcrowding and eliminate the need for realignment by expanding existing contracts with in, and out-of-state, detention facilities. Brown promised […]
Despite Higher Revenues, Debt and Rising Health Costs Threaten California Services
California Common Sense (CACS) released a brief analyzing how the State’s final budget has changed since 2007-08, the last time the budget was balanced. The state projects that its 2013-14 revenues will be $137 billion, $8.9 billion (7.0%) greater than the revenue it expected in 2007-08. Sill, funding for most services is expected to be lower due […]