Investigation-Budget and Finance

Governors luring away CA jobs
Tuesday, April 30th, 2013
Gov. McDonnell

April 30, 2013 By Brian Calle As Gov. Jerry Brown recently traveled to China to promote trade and search for Chinese investment for the state’s controversial high-speed rail project, two other state governors, Bob McDonnell of Virginia and Gary Herbert of Utah, made a joint trip to Californi...

Voters can dry up ‘inevitable’ tax on rain
Monday, February 25th, 2013
Celine Dion rain tax

Feb. 25, 2013 By Wayne Lusvardi The lyrics to Celine Dion song, “Rain Tax (It’s Inevitable),” suggested that some day government was bound to levy a tax on natural rainfall. By 2009, the California legislature voted to impose just such a rain tax through Assembly Bill 2554.  The tax...

Will Blue-State California become Detroit on the Pacific?
Monday, February 18th, 2013
Detroit city limits

Feb. 18, 2013 By Robert J. Cristiano, Ph.D. Environmentalists have used the allusion of the canary in the mineshaft when describing the importance of protecting the endangered Desert Sand Fly, Stephens Kangaroo Rat or the infamous Delta Smelt. By placing these insignificant creatures on the En...

Revenge of the nurses: The back story of PERB’s radicalization
Wednesday, September 19th, 2012

Sept. 19, 2012 By Chris Reed In 1999, California Democrats celebrated Gray Davis’ election as governor the previous fall by sending him a slew of legislation they knew that his Republican predecessor, Pete Wilson, would never have approved. Most notoriously, they won Davis’ signature on SB...

Stockton leads tsunami of Calif. bankruptcies
Monday, August 27th, 2012
bankruptcy sign taberandrewFromFlickr

Aug. 27, 2012 By Troy Anderson During Vallejo’s bankruptcy, which began in 2008, the city cut the number of police in half rather than deal with the “pension problem.” Now, a somewhat similar scenario is playing out in Stockton, a city of 292,000 east of San Francisco that recentl...

Federal Reserve warns, Calif., other municipal bonds very risky
Monday, August 20th, 2012
No junk bonds ChicagoGeekFromFlickr

Aug. 20, 2012 By Chriss Street Last week, we first reported first that "Permanent Link to Calif. sales tax revenue nosedives 33.5%," then that "Moody’s warns of mass Calif. municipal bankruptcies." During the Great Recession of the last four years, the California private sector was forced to ...

Time to bring back Calif. Justices of the Peace
Monday, July 2nd, 2012
Chiang - John

July 2, 2012 By Michael Warnken Upon recent news of the state’s $16 billion dollar budget deficit, the legislature began making deep cuts in numerous programs. One of the most devastating cuts of $544 million was to the state judiciary. On June 13, there was a large rally in front of the Cap...

Assembly committee kills bond misuse bill
Wednesday, June 20th, 2012
Victory Bonds - public domain

June 20, 2012 By Katy Grimes SACRAMENTO -- California's bond debt is on steroids, but it's the taxpaying residents who will be responsible for the financial meltdown. California politicians are well known for their budget fund shifts, "borrowing" from agencies and funds, and creative accou...

Brown’s new budget attacks producers
Monday, May 14th, 2012
Seventh Seal - Bergman

May 14, 2012 By John Seiler Gov. Jerry Brown's May Revise to his 2012-13 budget proposal, released today, only will club more producers into leaving the state. It calls for $8.5 billion in tax increases from the initiative he is placing before voters on the November ballot. Most of the tax inc...

Los Angeles teeters on the brink of bankruptcy
Monday, April 30th, 2012
Escape from L.A. 2013

April 30, 2012 By Brian Calle Taxpayers in Los Angeles are facing a major crisis if Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and other officials do not begin to address the systemic, structural issues putting the city on the fast track to economic upheaval. The situation is similar to that in other Califo...