The Diamond Bar Republican Has a New Twist on Fundraising

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How the Legislature Proposes to Cut Welfare by $1.1 Billion

Of the approximately $12 billion in spending reductions proposed by the Legislature in its budget, $1.1 billion fall on the 1.4 million Californians – two-thirds of them children – who receive aid under CalWORKs, the state’s welfare program.

Gov. Jerry Brown’s January budget plan contained $1.5 billion in cuts to welfare recipients, including a 13 percent reduction in monthly support checks and a limit of four years – instead of five – for parents and children to receive assistance.    Read more »

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A Tidbit from the Controller’s Redevelopment Agency Audit

FINDING 4 — Most Redevelopment Agencies Charged Expenditures That Were Questionable can be found on Page 9 of State Controller John Chiang’s audit, released March 7, of 18 large and small redevelopment agencies around the state.

As an example of such expenditures, the audit cites the City of San Jose which charged 25 percent of the salary and fringe benefits of the mayor, the 12 members of the city council and 40 city council staff members to the redevelopment agency.    Read more »

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Controller Releases Findings of Redevelopment Agency Audit

SACRAMENTO – State Controller John Chiang on March 7 released the results of a five-week, limited-scope review of 18 redevelopment agencies across the State of California.

The Controller found no reliable means to measure the impact of redevelopment activity on job growth because redevelopment agencies either do not track them or their methodologies lack uniformity and are often arbitrary.    Read more »

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Unemployment Rate in January Down Slightly to 12.4 Percent

SACRAMENTO – California nonfarm payroll jobs increased by 12,500 in January, with 5 of 11 industry sectors showing gains, according to data released March 4 by the California Employment Development Department from two separate surveys.

The unemployment rate was 12.4 percent, following an annual revision of monthly employment estimates.

The U.S.    Read more »

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More than 2,000 Pieces of Legislation Introduced in February

Shattering its January output of 248 bill introductions, the Assembly and the Senate produced nearly 10 times as many measures in February – 2,023, to be exact.

In the Senate and the Assembly, the deadline to introduce bills was February 18 although committee bills rather than those introduced by an individual members could be logged later.    Read more »

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Of Mount Lola and Lotta Crabtree’s San Francisco Fountain

At 9,148 feet, Mount Lola is the highest point in Nevada County.

It’s located north of Donner Pass and Interstate-80.

The peak’s namesake is Lola Montez, baroness, collector of men, shrewd entertainer and embellisher of stories, many of which involving her life

Montez portrayed herself as Spanish dancer Maria Dolores de Porris y Montez:

Lola for short.    Read more »

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Autobiography of Mark Twain, Volume 1, Page 306…

Helping to raise $1.8 million for Booker T. Washington and his Tuskegee Institute, at which “students are not merely furnished a book education but are taught 37 useful trades,” the 70-year-old Twain delivers a speech at a Carnegie Hall benefit. Twain wonders aloud what knowledge he can possibly impart that a Tuskegee student would not became aware of as a result of their studies.    Read more »

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Redevelopment Agency Information From the Public Domain (Click on More)

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How Many Jobs Do Redevelopment Agencies Actually Create?

According to a report issued December 31, 2010 by the state Controller, California’s 425 redevelopment agencies created 14,723 jobs during the fiscal year running from July 1, 2008 to June 30, 2009.

The information is contained in an annual audit of the agencies conducted by Controller John Chiang. The agencies provide him with the information.    Read more »

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