January, 2011Brown’s Address: Egypt on the Pacific?Monday, January 31st, 2011 JAN. 31, 2O11 By JOHN SEILER In his State-of-the-State address today, Gov. Jerry Brown compared Republican legislators' refusal (so far) to put taxes on a special election ballot in June to the longstanding thwarting of democracy in Egypt. Apparently he didn't read my Sunday blog that ma... Brown’s Full-Court Tax Hike PressMonday, January 31st, 2011JAN. 31, 2011 By STEVEN GREENHUT Gov. Jerry Brown's State of the State speech Monday night was pretty much what anyone should have expected, as the new governor championed his "tough choices" budget and pushed hard for its centerpiece: a public vote on controversial tax extensions. Since his i... Previewing Gov. Brown’s State AddressMonday, January 31st, 2011JAN. 31, 2011 By KATY GRIMES With Californians poised to hear Gov. Jerry Brown’s State of the State address this evening, many of them want more details about his recent budget proposals. Brown set the stage with a recent state of emergency declaration amidst the state’s $25.4 billion defi... A Clue To Gov. Brown’s Pension PlanMonday, January 31st, 2011JAN. 31, 2011 By LAER PEARCE Shuffled in with Arnold Schwarzenegger’s last-minute appointments was one – a very good one – that almost slipped by largely unnoticed, until The Buzz blog at the Sacramento Bee outed it: Among other actions on his way out the door, then-Gov. Arnold Schwarze... GOP Union Allies Humiliate ConwayFriday, January 28th, 2011JAN. 28, 2010 By STEVEN GREENHUT The three Assembly members who joined with Democrats at a union-sponsored rally to oppose government cuts to In-Home Supportive Services -- Jim Silva of Huntington Beach, Brian Nestande of Palm Desert and Paul Cook of Yucca Valley -- didn't betray their conserv... Tough Times, But Caltrans Wants MoreFriday, January 28th, 2011JAN. 28, 2011 By KATY GRIMES Despite the need for sizable cutbacks to the state budget, Caltrans and the High Speed Rail Authority asked for more money this week from the Legislature to purchase new cars, to cover increasing fuel costs, for additional job creation and to pay for high-speed rai... Another Bee Front-Page Parks ‘Editorial’Thursday, January 27th, 2011JAN. 27, 2011 By STEVEN GREENHUT The Sacramento Bee is nothing if not persistent in its push for higher taxes to pay for the state's park system, as evidenced by its umpteen-part series last summer prior to the failed state parks bond. The Bee stoked fears of a park crime wave in order to push... Liberal PPIC Puts Pro-Tax Spin On PollThursday, January 27th, 2011JAN. 27, 2010 By WAYNE LUSVARDI ‘Hey, diddle diddle, The poll cat played the fiddle, The Gov jumped over the moon (beam), The little (CalWatch) dog laughed to see such sport, And the Gov dished out the budget with a spoon.” A new Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) public opin... Mayors Scoff At Redevelopment CutsThursday, January 27th, 2011JAN. 27, 2010 This story first appeared in the San Francisco Examiner. By KATY GRIMES Redevelopment is crucial to creating jobs in California to fight the plague of 12.5 percent unemployment, the mayors of the state’s nine largest cities insisted in a meeting with Gov. Jerry Brown on We... Agency Employee Shift Lacked ApprovalTuesday, January 25th, 2011JAN. 25, 2010 By KATY GRIMES At a hearing riddled with government-acronyms on Monday at the Capitol, one state agency sought permission for a move it had already made, in a hearing where the outcome seemed pre-determined. In order to shift several IT employees to another department, “the ... |