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 »

2.26.2009

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 »

2.26.2009

He Could Be Right

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

– Charles de Gaulle

2.25.2009

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 »

2.24.2009

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 »

2.23.2009

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 »

2.20.2009

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 »

2.20.2009

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 »

2.20.2009

Katie’s First Korean Food Foray

After considerable coaxing, daughter Katie agrees to experience Ko Ga Nae, a tight 36-seat Korean restaurant in the Esoteric Plaza on Folsom near Bradshaw.

This is Katie’s first Korean food foray. I’m not exactly a crafty, grizzled veteran.

We are the only diners of non-Korean extraction. Corrections on the menu are made with White-Out and re-written solely in Korean. Read more »

2.19.2009

Greenhouse Gas Emission Increases?

As part of the budget deal, a bill now on Governor Schwarzenegger’s desk – AB 8 XX – would relax emissions control regulations for off-road diesel vehicles such as forklifts, backhoes and airport ground support.

The measure is categorized as an “economic stimulus” measure in legislative handouts on the budget. Its subject matter when looked up on the Senate or Assembly webpage is described as “State Government.” Read more »

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