Posts Tagged ‘Sacramento’

Shake, rattle and roll in Nor Cal
Thursday, May 23rd, 2013
970440_10151431331944397_1886971776_n

May 23, 2013 By Katy Grimes Earthquake! Tonight in Sacramento, we felt the rumblings of a 5.7 earthquake centered in in Greenville, CA, in Plumas County -- 300 miles from Sacramento. This is considered a moderate earthquake. So far, there have been 13 small aftershocks reported. This...

Assembly bill would extend ‘cradle-to-career’ state education
Tuesday, May 21st, 2013
240px-810_image_20

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...

No spare change under the dome
Monday, May 20th, 2013

May 20, 2013 By Katy Grimes During his press briefing last week while discussing the state’s lack of budgeting flexibility, Gov. Jerry Brown said, "Anyone who thinks there's spare change around here, they haven’t read the budget." Brown released his May Budget Revision l...

Assembly members objecting to corruption exemption in AB 173
Thursday, May 16th, 2013
member

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...

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...

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...

Lawmakers learn what farmers already know about sustainable agriculture
Friday, May 10th, 2013
300px-Wildfire_in_California

May 10, 2013 By Katy Grimes SACRAMENTO -- During two hours of expert testimony Wednesday, California Assembly members learned future commercial and housing developments should not be built on prime agricultural land, which should continue to be used for farming. The committee acted as if ...

CA inmate reduction plan shuns out-of-state prisons, other options
Thursday, May 9th, 2013

May 9, 2013 By Katy Grimes You've heard of the Millionaire Next Door? Now meet the Criminal Next Door. In what appears to be a nod to the powerful prison guards union, California is shunning sending prison inmates to lower cost, out-of-state prisons to reduce the overcrowded prison populati...

Vindictive Obamacare bills speeding through Legislature
Thursday, May 9th, 2013

May 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 debt
Wednesday, May 8th, 2013

May 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...