Posts Tagged ‘Democrats’

NEW: Assembly bill would stall local pension reform efforts
Friday, May 24th, 2013
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May 24, 2013 By Katy Grimes A bill to make it nearly impossible for local ballot initiatives to reform generous labor pensions was passed by the Assembly Thursday by a 50-18 vote. AB 822 by Assemblyman Isadore Hall, D-Los Angeles, would require all local ballot proposals seeking refor...

One more Obamacare snafu
Thursday, May 23rd, 2013

May 23, 2013 By Katy Grimes There is yet one more snafu in the Obamacare health care law -- paying for it. The new federal health law, going into effect January 1, 2014, requires most Americans to carry health insurance. But this presents a challenge for the large number of "unbankable"...

Assembly bill would extend ‘cradle-to-career’ state education
Tuesday, May 21st, 2013
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May 21, 2013 By Katy Grimes SACRAMENTO -- Some California educators want to educate your children "cradle-to-career." In support of President Obama's proposal to significantly increase federal spending on early childhood education and care, Assembly Concurrent Resolution 45 is by Ass...

Caltrans Bay Bridge delays shun private solutions
Monday, May 20th, 2013
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May 20, 2013 By Katy Grimes The Caltrans Bay Bridge debacle is worse than just a case of embarrassment for government infrastructure projects. The bridge is unsafe, according to engineering experts across the country, after the discovery that a third of the of the 96 massive, high-strength...

Six bills would make it easier to pass tax increases
Friday, May 17th, 2013

MAY 17, 2013 By Katy Grimes SACRAMENTO -- The Senate Governance and Finance Committee on Wednesday passed six constitutional amendments to make it easier for local voters to pass various tax increases on property owners. "California didn't knowingly vote for centralized power," said Sen...

Assembly members objecting to corruption exemption in AB 173
Thursday, May 16th, 2013
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May 16, 2013 By Katy Grimes SACRAMENTO -- A corruption exemption remains in Assembly Bill 173, by Assemblywoman Shirley Weber, D-San Diego. But calls I made to all the members of the Accountability and Administrative Review committee, which had reviewed the bill, indicated resistance by...

Collective bargaining behind the scenes
Wednesday, May 15th, 2013

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 ...

Gov. Brown’s May budget revision balances only by ignoring unfunded liabilities
Tuesday, May 14th, 2013

May 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...

Obama administration taps AP phone lines
Tuesday, May 14th, 2013

May 14, 2013 By Katy Grimes The Associated Press found itself in an interesting juxtaposition yesterday when it had to report that the Obama Justice Department secretly obtained two months of AP's own employees' phone records. In what can only be called strange, the Obama Justice Depa...

Assembly budget secrecy ahead; 37 empty budget bills passed
Tuesday, May 14th, 2013

May 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...