See Tax Increases, Think Pensions
Despite the ridicule heaped on bonuses offered public workers for simply doing their jobs – just one prime example: a librarian earning a bonus for helping members of the public find books – the California Retirement System (CalPERS) board last week made sure the bonuses added to salaries will be part of pension calculations. While […]
Will Prop 2 Produce More Debt?
Prop 2, while being advertised as a rainy day fund on TV, is actually a complicated formula that prioritizes debt payback. Gov. Brown and the measure’s other backers have said that by speeding up debt payback, it will reduce debt service and free up money in the long-term for investments. If only that were true. […]
Forgetting the Latino Vote in 2014?
It’s only a week before Election Day and Governor Jerry Brown must be smiling. The Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) Statewide Survey completed October 19 has Brown at 52 percent and Kashkari at 36 percent. The lackluster gubernatorial snoozefest has led to what will be an unprecedented shunning of the ballot box this November […]
Californians’ News and Information Sources
Television loses ground as the top source of political news. A plurality of Californians (38%) get most of their political news from television. Our findings were similar in 2010 (37%), but in 2007 this number was 9 points higher, at 47 percent. Over the same time period, reliance on the Internet for political news has […]
Beyond the Propaganda: How I’m Voting on California Propositions
California’s general election turnout is predicted to be dismal this year, with less than half of eligible voters likely to turn out. Two factors include a lack of competitive statewide races, and ballot measures that don’t inspire activism. Speaking of statewide ballot measures, voters will see six of them, and here’s my take, and how […]