“Well May the World Go – When I’m Far Away”

1.28.2014

California Corporate Tax Collections Lag Estimates

It’s a litany of good news in Gov. Jerry Brown’s election-year budget. Safety net programs are being shored up. Debt is being repaid. Revenues are rising.

Except for corporate taxes.

In fact, business tax receipts are falling at the same time hefty profits are being posted by major companies across the country. Read more »

1.28.2014

Pete Seeger (1919 – 2014)

“Passing Through”…………………….

Passing through. Passing through.

Sometimes happy, Sometimes blue.

Glad that I ran in to you.

Tell the people that you saw me passing through.

*****

I saw Adam leave the garden with an apple in his hand,

I said, “Now you’re out, what are you gonna do?

Plant some crops and pray for rain, maybe raise a little Cain,

I’m an orphan and I’m only passing through.” Read more »

1.23.2014

Like Adjourning, Clever Headlines Are Always in Order…

Public relations experts suggest various strategies for announcing bad news. In the legislative world “bad” news could definitely be the failure of a bill. One technique is to minimize the bad news by stressing something positive. “While this piece of legislation might be toast, dozens of other far-reaching, much-needed public policy reforms by Sen. Read more »

1.17.2014

No Doubt Just a Momentarily Slip, Governor But…

…on behalf of William Strunk Jr., E.B. White and English teachers everywhere, when comparing or contrasting more than two items, “among” is the proper preposition.

Your final grade is not jeopardized should this remain an aberration:

Brown surprises state board, calls for adoption of LCFF regs

by Tom Chorneau

(Calif.) Taking clear control of the debate over school funding governance, Gov. Read more »

1.15.2014

Darrell Steinberg on Being Senate President Pro Tempore

“There are many challenges in this job. it’s a trough job. (Particularly) balancing expectations … in terms of spending and programs.. with maintaing fiscal stability. Read more »

1.15.2014

Frank Zappa Would Certainly Chuckle

“The Boss” and The Boss Peform “Stuck In Governor Christie’s Fort Lee Traffic Jam” Read more »

1.13.2014

Gov. Jerry “Rainy Day” Brown Lays out His New Budget

1.13.2014

Legislature and Governor Hold Budgetary Love-In

The Legislative Analyst routinely takes governors to task for any number of deficiencies — unrealistic forecasts, faux-savings and gimmickry, among them — contained in the January spending plans of the executive branch. Not this year:

“Overall, the governor’s proposal would place California on an even stronger fiscal footing, continuing California’s budgetary progress,” the analyst says in its 42-page Overview of the Governor’s Budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1. Read more »

1.10.2014

The Challenges and Opportunities of Demographic Change

By Gov. Jerry Brown

In past decades, baby boomers have posed multiple challenges to the state beginning with building classrooms and training enough teachers, to developing a higher education system that would accommodate the infusion of young adults, to growing the economy fast enough so they could find employment. Even now, baby boomers continue to reshape society as they begin to leave the labor force. Read more »

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