May 15, 2013 By Katy Grimes Government employees' salaries and benefits, and in particular, pensions, are financially unsustainable in California. It is clear that collective bargaining reform is needed. But in a state run by politicians elected largely with the financial support of labor and ...
Posts Tagged ‘budget deficit’Gov. Brown’s May budget revision balances only by ignoring unfunded liabilitiesTuesday, May 14th, 2013May 14, 2013 By Katy Grimes SACRAMENTO -- Balancing the economic realities of the state budget with political influences surely is a challenging task. Unfortunately, in California it is a task which few administrations have managed in recent state history. Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown an... Assembly budget secrecy ahead; 37 empty budget bills passedTuesday, May 14th, 2013May 14, 2013 By Katy Grimes SACRAMENTO -- Another secretive budget is in the near future as Democrats passed 37 empty budget "spot bills" Monday. It was business as usual in the Assembly. Assemblyman Bob Blumenfield, D-Los Angeles, the author of AB 74, the budget bills, and Chairman of the... Vindictive Obamacare bills speeding through LegislatureThursday, May 9th, 2013May 9, 2013 By Katy Grimes It's always good to see the California Legislature proposing more vindictive bills aimed at penalizing employers. The new "Walmart loophole" bill, AB 880, would require large employers to "pay their fair share when they dump workers onto Medi-Cal by cutting ho... Lawmaker wants president to discharge student loan debtWednesday, May 8th, 2013May 8, 2013 By Katy Grimes SACRAMENTO -- In 2006, a major rewrite of the federal bankruptcy law allowed for federal student loans to be dischargeable. Prior to 2006, student loans, along with taxes, were always required to be paid back in bankruptcy court. Now, Assemblyman Bob Wieckowski, D... ‘No Federal Bailout’ bill killed in Assembly Banking CommitteeWednesday, May 8th, 2013 May 8, 2013 By Katy Grimes SACRAMENTO -- As the self-help movements say, taking responsibility is crucial to recovery. That's why Assemblywoman Shannon Grove, R-Bakersfield, wants California to take responsibility for its pension addiction. Her bill, Assembly Joint Resolution 10, called o... CA Obamacare penalty to cost employers more than planTuesday, May 7th, 2013May 7, 2013 By Katy Grimes As more regulations are discovered in the 2010 Affordable Care Act, more people are realizing the impact of the legislation. And California looks as if the law could hit it hard. CA medical claims will jump 62 percent According to the Society of Actuaries, fi... Unions kill teacher evaluation billFriday, May 3rd, 2013May 3, 2013 By Katy Grimes For most parents in California, education is a nonpartisan issue. But too many of the state’s elected politicians, who claim to represent all constituents, accept teachers union campaign contributions -- and lots of them. This makes education very political.... On gun shows and leisure suits…Thursday, May 2nd, 2013 May 2, 2013 By Katy Grimes What do leisure suits and gun shows have in common? More than you might think. It turns out that some members of the California Senate don't particularly like either. But I'll bet in this Legislature, gun shows are despised more. But this is about constitution... Legislature guts another transparency billThursday, May 2nd, 2013May 2, 2013 By Katy Grimes SACRAMENTO -- In a move which disregarded the very issue in the bill, Assembly Budget Subcommittee No. 6 killed an important transparency bill Tuesday before it was even heard. Assemblywoman Kristin Olsen, R- Modesto, hadn’t even testified on ACA 4, which... |