Californians and Climate Change
It’s been nine years since the movie “An Inconvenient Truth” had its debut and AB 32, the “California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006” was passed by the Democratic-controlled legislature and signed by Republican Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Since then, Republicans and Democrats at the federal level have sparred over the scientific evidence on global warming, […]
Contrasting Road Plans Lead to Frustrated Drivers
Drivers must be scratching their heads over conflicting approaches to transportation goals in the state and cities. Yesterday, a coalition of business and labor organizations supported a plan to raise funds for road repair to the tune of $6 billion a year to be shared by the state and local governments. At the same time […]
How To Leave CalPERS Without Paying Huge Fee
It may surprise cities that did not switch new hires to 401(k)-style plans because of huge CalPERS termination fees, not to mention the authors of a proposed initiative giving voters power over pensions. But a CalPERS white paper that surfaced last week describes a “soft freeze” of pension plans that switches new hires to a 401(k)-style investment […]
Pensions as Economic Stimulus
Each month the California economy experiences a large stimulus and the positive jolt is barely felt or acknowledged by civic, political or media leaders. But hundreds of thousands of citizens and many local businesses anticipate and welcome the infusion of money. The stimulus is monthly government pension payments, which is a contributor on par with […]