The Legislative Analyst Takes A First Cut at Gov. Brown’s Very Optimistic Budget Plan

The amount of revenue Gov. Jerry Brown says California will receive over the next 18 months is $3.9 billion less than the Democratic governor says, according to an initial review of his spending plan by the Legislative Analyst.

About $3.7 billion of the difference is in estimates of state income tax collections, primarily taxes on capital gains.    Read more »

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California’s First Police Force and — The Supposed — Capture of Joaquin Murrieta

California’s third governor, John Bigler, signed legislation passed May 17, 1853 authorizing the raising of a company of up to 20 State Rangers, to be led by Captain Harry Love, a bounty hunter and veteran of the Mexican American War. They were charged – for three months or less – to “capture the party or gang of robbers commanded by the five Joaquins whose names are, Joaquin Murietta, Joaquin O’Comorenia, Joaquin Valenzuela, Joaquin Betellier, and Joaquin Carrillo, and their banded associates.”     Read more »

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Tax Receipts Down In December — Even Using Gov. Brown’s New Scaled-Back Revenue Estimates.

The state’s revenue collections in December were a net $165 million lower than expected, according to State Controller John Chiang in his monthly cash receipts report January 10.

Sales taxes were $17 million higher during the month than Gov. Jerry Brown predicts in his budget proposal, released January 5.  Income taxes were nearly $70 million lower than Brown hoped and corporate taxes came in $20 million below estimates.    Read more »

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As Opposed to “Factually Invalid Statistical Data?”

(Editor’s Note: The hyperlinks don’t link in the body of the letter. Here is the “California Budget Fact Check.” You make the call.)

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Making the Rounds in the Capitol January 9 — Those Crazy Legislative Cut-Ups, What Wackiness Will They Dream Up Next?

The bill the lemon advertises — AB 1455 by Assemblywoman Diane Harkey, a Laguna Niguel Republican — would prohibit the issuance of unencumbered debt to construct a high speed rail project. Sen. Doug LaMalfa, a Butte Republican and ardent critic of the project has already signed on as principal co-author. Up to $9.96 billion in state debt is currently authorized by the 2008 bond measure approved by voters.    Read more »

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Gender Identity Versus Recorded Gender in Public Schools

Public school students would be allowed to participate in sex-segregated school activities based on their gender identity rather than the gender listed on their records, under legislation pending in the Assembly.

Following the logic, that means a  male pupil, whose gender identity is female, could then, potentially, play on the woman’s field hockey team.    Read more »

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A Rare Moment of Self-Awareness?

 “Never have so many gathered for so little.”

  — Gov. Jerry Brown, welcoming reporters to a Dec. 27, 2011 press availability

(It’s a riff, of course, on Winston Churchill’s line about the heroics of Royal Air Force pilots during the Battle of Britain in 1940.)

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Brown Hurriedly Unveils His New Budget Plan — Five Days Sooner Than Planned

Cuts – mainly in aid to the state’s poor – and a like amount of temporary tax increases would close a projected $9.2 billion budget hole under Gov. Jerry Brown’s budget plan released January 5.

The Democratic governor moved up the spending blueprint’s unveiling from January 10 after it was inadvertently posted on his Department of Finance’s website earlier in the day.    Read more »

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December Revenue Collections — Did They Hit the Mark?

State budget writers last June predicted California would take in more than $5.7 billion in income tax receipts and $1.4 billion in corporate taxes during the month of December.

That prediction came in a state budget enacted June 30, which the Brown administration and the Legislative Analyst say is already $2.2 billion to $3.7 billion short of revenue estimates, respectively.    Read more »

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It’s This Kind of Love the Capitol Missed the Most

The lonely hiatus is finally over.

At last, the grand and glorious day has arrived – the Legislature returns to the Capitol.

It’s been an excruciatingly long four months.

The doldrums of no committee hearings, no press conferences and no windy but pointless floor speeches are finally at an end.

Finally, dull inactivity replaced with tedious overactivity.    Read more »

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