New Year Off to a “Slow Start,” Gov. Brown’s Budget Writers Say

So begins the March Finance Bulletin from the Democratic governor’s Department of Finance. The next sentences read:

“Employment indicators were contradictory—a small loss of nonfarm jobs but the unemployment rate improved. Construction activity slowed, as did the real estate market.”

Elsewhere the bulletin notes that the median price of a single-family California home sold in January fell to $268,280 — down nearly 4 percent from a year earlier.    Read more »

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A Timeless “Politics on Tap” with Assemblywoman Linda Halderman of Fresno and Aaron McLear of the Ginsberg McLear Group    Read more »

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Economy on the Uptick But State Revenues Come Up Short

February revenues were $146.3 million below budget estaimtes, according to State Controller John Chiang’s monthly cash report released March 12.

Chiang attributed the shortfall to “a large increase in early tax refunds going out during the month of February.”

Nearly $100 million of the total came in lower-than-expected personal income tax collections for the month.    Read more »

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Happy Birthday Governor Stanford!

Leland Stanford, president of the Central Pacific Railroad at the same time he served as California’s eighth governor, was born in Watervliet New York on March 9, 1824.

Elected in 1861, Stanford was California’s first Republican governor, the second of the state’s Civil War governors and the best known of those who held the office during the 19th century.    Read more »

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There is That…

“If past history was all there was to the game, the richest people would be the librarians.”

      –Warren Buffett    Read more »

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No Wonder the Name Stuck…

Greenhorn in Siskiyou County was named after an unamed Gold Rush greenhorn who was told, as a joke, that a particular site — which everyone believed had no ore — would be the place he would strike it rich. He did.

(Life being full of rich irony and all.) 

-30-    Read more »

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Today’s Latin Lesson Is What Voters Hope Their Elected Officials Are

Par Oneri

“Equal to the Task”    Read more »

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Rock On, Jeffe

A subscriber brings to the attention of California’s Capitol, this important piece of legislation by Assembly Speaker John Perez, a Los Angeles Democrat:

“AB 2195, as introduced. John A. Perez. California Jobs Act of 2012

Existing law regulates wages, hours, safety and other aspects of public and private employment.

This bill would express the intent of the Legislature to enact legislation to reduce the number of unemployed persons in the state.”     Read more »

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Inside California’s 11.1 Percent Unemployment Rate

California’s 11.1 percent unemployment rate is a statewide average.

The number of Californians working — or not working — varies by geography.

In Merced, the unemployment rate is 18 percent while in the Bay Area, it’s under 10 percent. Fresno has  16 pecent unemployment rate but Napa’s is only 8.5 percent.    Read more »

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Protesters Today…

“You’re Sexy. You’re Cute. Take Off Your Riot Suit.”

 — Capitol Protesters on March 5 Decrying Education Cuts, University Fee Increases and the Sartorial Choices of Law Enforcement Officers    Read more »

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