http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/yourtaxdollarsatwork/ en-us Sat, 2 Jan 2010 20:54:23 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2419669/posts Tens of thousands of state workers began the new year Friday unsure whether to be happy about the prospect of a bigger paycheck in 2010 – or fear the prospect of a pink slip. The uncertainty emanates from decisions handed down Thursday in three cases challenging Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's decision last year to furlough about 200,000 state workers three days a month – tantamount to a 14 percent pay cut. Alameda Superior Court Judge Frank Roesch ruled that the governor's "emergency" actions, designed to help stem the state's flood of budgetary red ink, were legally flawed, although he did not... Sacramento Bee http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2419669/posts#comment Sat, 2 Jan 2010 20:54:23 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2419260/posts It's been a bumpy ride since Arnold Schwarzenegger took office in 2003. As he heads into his final year, here are some sentiments we would like to hear in his Jan. 6 State of the State address: "People of Cal-i-fornia, I've one year left as your governor to help set California on the right path. I am going to use every day to reach that goal. . . . "Everyone knows that Sacramento is a dysfunctional town. Democrats and Republicans don't work or play well together. In fact, we've gotten so used to the rancor that we've forgotten how the... San Francisco Chronicle http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2419260/posts#comment Sat, 2 Jan 2010 00:59:05 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2418378/posts Two Cal Poly Pomona professors emeriti have called on the Legislature and Attorney General Jerry Brown to probe flawed investment choices by CalPERS in recent years. Professors Walter Coombs of Claremont and Ralph Shaffer of Covina called for the investigations in an opinion piece published in The Riverside Press Enterprise. To read their full commentary, click here. Here are their ending remarks: It's time for a thorough examination of CalPERS by the state attorney general and the Legislature. Recent investments smack of cronyism and outright conflict of interest. Were investment transactions based on proper research or did certain favored real... SacBee: State Worker http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2418378/posts#comment Thu, 31 Dec 2009 15:52:35 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2417664/posts With much fanfare and celebration - by Chinese steelworkers and Caltrans officials alike - the first steel pieces of the new Bay Bridge suspension span were prepared to ship out of Shanghai on Tuesday - more than a year late but in time to meet a Dec. 31 deadline that officials hope will keep construction on schedule for a 2013 opening. "It's momentous," said Ken Terpstra, Caltrans' project manager for the Bay Bridge, from Shanghai where workers staged a ceremony complete with daytime fireworks. "It was a hard, challenging road, but they're ready to go." The first shipment, delayed by... San Francisco Chronicle http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2417664/posts#comment Wed, 30 Dec 2009 15:43:08 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416290/posts During his first year in office, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger railed against state lawmakers, calling them "girlie men" and "obstructionists." As he enters his final year, Schwarzenegger is targeting a different branch of government: judges who "are going absolutely crazy." The Republican governor openly complains about the judiciary these days for blocking budget decisions and forcing California to find billions of dollars elsewhere. Recent judgments have contributed to the state's $20.7 billion projected deficit. Courts have ruled that California's attempts to divert transit and redevelopment money are illegal. They have found in some cases that the state cannot furlough workers. They... Sacramento Bee http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416290/posts#comment Mon, 28 Dec 2009 15:53:29 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416284/posts Frustration with a dysfunctional California government has spurred a movement to have the people, by initiative, call a state constitutional convention to rewrite the state's basic laws. But not all the laws. Advocates of the constitutional convention initiative hope to reduce opposition to the measure by declaring Proposition 13 off-limits from convention delegates' deliberations. Prop. 13 should not be taken off the table if and when a constitutional convention is called. How can it be, when the groundbreaking property tax reform measure is the central piece of the whole state and local governmental budget discussion? How many times has Prop.... San Francisco Chronicle http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416284/posts#comment Mon, 28 Dec 2009 15:48:54 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415154/posts California's budget coffers are emptier than a politician's promise, but there may be a silver lining to the state's dark financial clouds: Fewer new laws. Legislators approved only 872 bills in their 2009 regular session, and just 632 have become or will become law by Jan. 1. While that may seem like a lot more new laws than we need, it's actually the fewest bills passed, and the fewest signed into law, in more than 40 years. In fact, according to legislative consultants, it's 131 fewer to become laws than last year; 393 fewer than 10 years ago, and a... Sacramento Bee http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415154/posts#comment Sat, 26 Dec 2009 01:42:50 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2414766/posts RICHMOND -- In a blow to financially strapped Richmond and a $20 million victory for Chevron Corp., a Contra Costa County judge has struck down a tax approved by local voters last year that assessed the company for the value of the crude oil it refines in the city. Measure T is unconstitutional because the tax is out of proportion to the business Chevron does in Richmond and the services it receives there, said Superior Court Judge David Flinn. He said the tax also violates state law because it is based on the value of materials that Chevron uses in... San Francisco Chronicle http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2414766/posts#comment Fri, 25 Dec 2009 00:48:19 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2414491/posts So now it's out: Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger wants to whack $1.6 billion from the state's payroll to help close a $14.4 billion budget gap in fiscal 2010-11. Although he's said the furloughs would expire on June 30, the end of the 2009-10 fiscal year, The Bee has reported that the governor will push back the expiration date. What might change that? The state's economy roars back. Forget it. The nonpartisan Legislative Analyst's Office said last month that the state is already down $6.3 billion this year, plus the $14.4 billion next year. California will be strapped for several more years,... SacBee: State Worker http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2414491/posts#comment Thu, 24 Dec 2009 15:40:40 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2414490/posts WASHINGTON – As the U.S. Senate prepares to pass a historic health care bill early today, California's two Democratic senators find themselves facing something of a dilemma. The problem: Even though Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein have consistently backed abortion rights, both are ready to cast votes that are guaranteed to anger abortion-rights groups. The reason: The $871 billion bill includes language that critics say will restrict the right to abortions. Much of the criticism is aimed at Boxer, who took a leadership role in negotiations over the final bill. She decided to accept the new language only when it... Sacramento Bee http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2414490/posts#comment Thu, 24 Dec 2009 15:36:13 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2414005/posts Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger plans to save $1.6 billion in state employee costs by maintaining monthly furloughs past next June, instituting layoffs or shifting general fund workers into positions financed by other revenues, according to sources familiar with the governor's forthcoming budget proposal. California faces a $20.7 billion general fund budget deficit through June 2011, according to an estimate by the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst's Office. Sacramento Bee http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2414005/posts#comment Wed, 23 Dec 2009 20:51:57 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2413757/posts The Bay Area Air Quality Management District is asking residents to check before burning any wood fires on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day since predicted light winds and cool air may create unhealthy air conditions across the region. . . . The district has already issued two winter Spare the Air alerts, its first one falling on Thanksgiving Day. On these days, Bay Area residents are prohibited from burning wood or manufactured fire logs in fireplaces, wood stoves, fire pits or in any other place. The ban extends to both indoor and outdoor fires. San Jose Mercury News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2413757/posts#comment Wed, 23 Dec 2009 15:42:47 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2413753/posts A host of medical services that insurers must pay for in California — from cancer screenings to diabetes treatment to two-day hospital stays for delivering mothers — could be weakened or lost if the health care measures pending in Congress become law. Currently, any health insurer selling policies in California must comply with the state's extensive consumer protections. The reform measures would allow insurance firms to sell policies across state lines if certain conditions were met, bypassing California's rules in favor of the requirements in the state where the policy is issued. The result, critics warn, would be a "race... San Jose Mercury News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2413753/posts#comment Wed, 23 Dec 2009 15:37:04 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2413748/posts HE ASKS CONGRESS FOR BILLIONS OF DOLLARS, LAW RELAXATION - As the U.S. Senate finalized its health care proposal, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger asked Congress on Tuesday to add billions of dollars for California and relax existing laws, warning that the state otherwise may have to slash Medi-Cal benefits or eliminate its in-home care program.The Republican governor connected the long-term health care plan to California's current budget deficit, estimated to be $20.7 billion by the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst's Office. He suggested in a letter to Congress that the health care plan would lock in current federal reimbursement and eligibility policies that... Sacramento Bee http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2413748/posts#comment Wed, 23 Dec 2009 15:30:24 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2413256/posts State officials and advocates for the rights of the disabled are hailing a $1.1 billion settlement of a suit regarding access to sidewalks and facilities owned or maintained by the state's Department of Transportation. "This settlement is a win-win," said Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, in a statement released by Caltrans today. . . . Sacramento Bee http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2413256/posts#comment Tue, 22 Dec 2009 20:41:13 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2413250/posts Sonoma County's top official on Monday ordered the removal of stars, angels and other religious symbols from Christmas trees in county buildings after a complaint that the decorations violate constitutional protections. “I understand the concern about government endorsing religion or a doctrine, and I respect that is not our role,” Acting County Administrator Chris Thomas said. The complaint was lodged by Irv Sutley of Santa Rosa, a 65-year-old disabled veteran who has a long history of protesting the use of religious symbols in government settings. One of the offending trees was in the lobby of Thomas' office. He said he... Press Democrat (Santa Rosa, CA) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2413250/posts#comment Tue, 22 Dec 2009 20:32:34 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2412981/posts Under fire for mismanaging its vehicle fleet, Caltrans was rapped anew on Monday for grossly overstating the number of jobs it created or preserved with federal stimulus money. The criticism came from state Auditor Elaine Howle, who revealed the department's inflated numbers in a report. In October, Caltrans told the federal government that it created or preserved 1,590 jobs with $26.7 million the department received earlier this year under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The stimulus bill requires all recipients of federal money to file quarterly job updates, reporting numbers of jobs created or saved by projects. Howle's auditors... Sacramento Bee http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2412981/posts#comment Tue, 22 Dec 2009 15:37:17 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2412978/posts For years, global warming alarmists have pointed to every drought and heat wave as proof that global warming was a real environmental threat. They had few qualms about blurring the line between weather and climate to make a PR point. Perhaps, then, it was karma that brought a blizzard and freezing temperatures to the U.N. climate change Conference of Parties confab in Copenhagen (or COP-15 for short) last week. You may have read about the 1,200 limos and 140 private planes commissioned to transport COP-15 dignitaries in style. Critics love to point to the hypocrisy of world leaders - such... San Francisco Chronicle http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2412978/posts#comment Tue, 22 Dec 2009 15:33:54 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2412632/posts For state lawmakers, ringing in the New Year also means getting ready for what's shaping up to be another painful budget season. They'll return to the Capitol Jan. 4 to tackle a deficit that is expected to swell to $6.3 billion by the end of the fiscal year. Filling that hole -- and the $21 billion deficit projected for the next 18 months --tops Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg's list of priorities for the new year. Steinberg said in an interview with The Bee that while further cuts and new revenues will be needed to close that gap, the... SacBee: Capitol Alert http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2412632/posts#comment Tue, 22 Dec 2009 00:46:58 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2411755/posts I got a call from Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry the other day. From the sound of things, the Senate clearly intends to take its holiday break Wednesday, no matter what. If so, President Obama is going have a tough time making his Christmas deadline for a health care reform bill to win Senate approval. At this point, it looks like the biggest winners when a bill finally does pass are going to be the insurance companies. They'll be getting millions of new customers - at government expense. San Francisco Chronicle http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2411755/posts#comment Sun, 20 Dec 2009 18:28:54 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2410712/posts Shedding jobs that once reliably attracted new residents, California grew at a slower pace this year than all but two other years since 1900, according to state Department of Finance figures released Thursday. The number of new births dropped. The number of new immigrants dropped. And more residents left California for other states than came here. The end result: Statewide growth from July 2008 to July 2009 was 350,000 people, or less than 1 percent. During the rest of the decade, California averaged 525,000 new residents each year. The four-county Sacramento region posted even more striking numbers, adding just 21,000... Sacramento Bee http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2410712/posts#comment Fri, 18 Dec 2009 21:04:18 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2410711/posts You have to string together a series of seemingly unrelated events to see it, but this week painted a powerful picture of California's chronic inability to govern itself. As the week began, a legislative committee heard state Treasurer Bill Lockyer describe, in blunt terms, why the state finds it increasingly difficult to market its bonds. Briefly, its budget is chronically unbalanced, it has floated too much debt, and it's now forced to pay higher interest rates on its debts than many Third World nations. Counterintuitively, state schools chief Jack O'Connell a day later urged the Legislature to approve a big... Sacramento Bee http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2410711/posts#comment Fri, 18 Dec 2009 21:00:02 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2409752/posts An attack on UC Berkeley Chancellor Robert Birgeneau’s house and conflicting reports as to why students were arrested at Wheeler Hall Friday, Dec. 11, have added a new twist to ongoing protests against university budget cuts. Student organizers of Live Week—a week-long “open occupation” of Wheeler Hall where students tried to create an open university by holding talks, forums and music shows all day—condemned the 4:30 a.m. arrests during which UC police locked in 66 protesters, cited them for trespassing and later took them to Santa Rita jail. Almost all were reportedly released later. Although campus spokesperson Dan Mogulof said... Berkeley Daily Planet http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2409752/posts#comment Thu, 17 Dec 2009 18:31:41 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2409600/posts Last Friday, the state's biggest public employee union came up short. Again. This time Service Employees International Union Local 1000 backed the loser in a runoff board election for CalPERS, the mammoth government worker pension provider. The board signs off on annual payments that the state and local governments must make to their employee retirement funds. It also sets how the $200 billion system spreads its investments on behalf of CalPERS' 1.6 million members. Local 1000's handpicked candidate, Cathy Hackett, lost to J.J. Jelincic, who was backed by several other unions, 49 percent to 51 percent. It's the latest in... SacBee: State Worker http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2409600/posts#comment Thu, 17 Dec 2009 15:58:39 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2408762/posts California faces at least another year of recession, and the state budget is so far upside down that it's now "more likely to default than not," on some of its debt, a new economic forecast from California Lutheran University's economists declares. The director of Cal Lutheran's new Center for Economic Research and Forecasting, Bill Watkins, cites the state's budget problems, its high regulatory and operating costs and its deficit infrastructure as impediments to rapid recovery. SacBee: Capitol Alert http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2408762/posts#comment Wed, 16 Dec 2009 16:02:49 GMT