Oh, Acting Governor…

MEMO 

TO: Lieutenant Governor John Garamendi 

FROM:California’s Capitol 

As you know, you are the acting governor while Governor Schwarzenegger is out of the state. Out of the country, actually. He’s in Germany – the Hannover Fair Grounds today to be exact. Or so his schedule says.  He will be there at least through Tuesday.     Read more »

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A Chat With State Treasurer Bill Lockyer

CC: Is this budget deal a permanent solution to the chronic gap between spending commitments and revenue 

BL: No. It’s far short of that. The long-term gap represents about 4 percent of the general fund which in a normal year can be closed. This was a particularly bad year. And when bigger tax increases or deeper program cuts become unpalatable people borrow, which we’ve continued to do each year.    Read more »

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California Unemployment Rate Rises to 10.1%

SACRAMENTO – California’s unemployment rate was 10.1 percent in January, and nonfarm payroll jobs declined by 79,300 during the month, according to data released today by the California Employment Development Department (EDD) from two separate surveys. 

The U.S. unemployment rate also increased in January to 7.6 percent. 

In December, the state’s unemployment rate was a revised 8.7 percent, and in January 2008, the unemployment rate was 6.1 percent.    Read more »

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The Deepest Cut of All — Public Schools

By far, the largest spending cut in California’s seven-day old budget falls on the state’s 6.3 million public school students and the more than 9,900 schools at which they matriculate. 

Between now and the end of next fiscal year on June 30, 2010, state support for public schools will drop by $11.6 billion, according to several analyses by educators and education lobbyists.     Read more »

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He Could Be Right

“Politics is too serious a matter to be left to the politicians.”

                                                                                – Charles de Gaulle

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California’s Share of Federal Economic Stimulus Cash

While the package of bills created to close California’s estimated $41 billion gap between revenues and spending commitments was never the subject of a single public hearing, one of the bills in the package creates a future public hearing. 

And an interesting one at that. 

Some good things happen to California’s budget, depending on how much of a share of federal economic stimulus cash the state receives.     Read more »

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How Stimulating Is the Budget’s Economic Stimulus Package?

Part of the budget package touted by lawmakers and Governor Schwarzenegger as the chicken salad of what would otherwise be a $42 billion pile of chicken scat, are 11 measures they say will buoy the state’s sagging economy, the eighth largest in the world.

The GOP governor rejected an $18 billion Democratic-backed spending proposal because it did not contain enough  to help kick start the economy.    Read more »

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Our Growing Tax Burden…

Total tax burden in California reached a new high estimated at $12.7 billion for fiscal 1960, according to the California Taxpayers Association. Taxes in the previous year amounted to $11.1 billion.

In comparison, individual incomes for the state amounted to about $39.6 billion for 1959 and are estimated at $42.3 billion for 1960.    Read more »

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Guest Post: Don’t Forget to Censure Reagan

MEMO

FROM: GUS TURDLOCK 

TO: RADIO PERSONALITIES JOHN AND KEN AND GOP STATE CONVENTIONEERS: 

RE: PUTTING RONALD REAGAN’S HEAD ON A STICK 

Many attendees at the state GOP Convention were either not born or wearing jammies with little feet during the 1966 gubernatorial election in which Ronald Reagan defeated incumbent Democrat Pat Brown.     Read more »

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Budget Line-Items: All Politics Are Local

Lieutenant Governor John Garamendi, a Democratic candidate for governor, criticized Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s $1.3 billion in line-item vetoes announced at a February 20 budget signing ceremony. 

Garamendi has reason to be unhappy – the budget of his office fell from $2.8 million to a little over $1 million. 

“I am reducing the Lieutenant Governor’s budget by $1,734,000 to ensure that sufficient resources are reserved for key programs within state government,” Schwarzenegger said in his veto message.    Read more »

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