“Yoga Happy” – Tax Talk at the Budget Press Conference
Reading Governor Jerry Brown’s meaning on some issues, with or without a dictionary and history text, can be tricky. But it was worth looking for signals on tax issues at the governor’s Friday press conference introducing the record $113 billion general fund budget. When Brown was asked about extending the Proposition 30 tax increases or […]
Brown Will Be Governor Until 2030, Whether He Lives That Long Or Not
At Tuesday’s high-speed rail groundbreaking in Fresno, Gov. Jerry Brown talked about the year 2030, the target date for getting actual trains in service. “I’ll be 92 in 2030, so I’m working out, I’m pumping iron, I’m eating vegetables. I want to be around for the 50 percent reduction in petroleum [consumption], the six or […]
Build a State Budget for Skills and High-Wage Job Growth
We commend Gov. Jerry Brown for proposing a balanced budget with a sensible reserve for California. However, he noted that the budget is precariously balanced. He also mentioned that while we grew 1.3 million new jobs since the recession, our declining wage levels are still a concern in California. Like the Governor, we believe the best way […]
Senator Boxer Calls It Quits
U.S. Senator, Barbara Boxer’s announcement that she will throw in the towel in 2016 rather than seek a 5th term comes as little surprise. Her failure to begin raising campaign funds was a sure sign that she had decided to call it quits. Although 74, she rules out age as a factor. The diminutive Boxer’s meteoric […]
Brown Plan to Eliminate Retiree Health Care Debt
Gov. Brown wants state workers to begin paying half the cost of their future retiree health care — a big change for workers making no payments for coverage that can pay 100 percent of the premium for a retiree and 90 percent for their dependents. The governor also wants state workers to be given the […]