Gov. Jerry Brown’s Plan to Take $744 Million Worth of Bricks Out of the “Wall of Debt”

In taking a chip out of what he calls a $35 billion “Wall of Debt,” Gov. Jerry Brown’s revised budget would speed repayment of $744 million raked off of various funds whose cash comes from fees and not general tax revenue.

When he rejected the Schwarzenegger administration’s plan to sell 11 state office buildings, the Democratic governor borrowed $830 million from 48 pots outside the state’s cash-starved general fund.    Read more »

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Governor’s Revised Budget Increases Spending on Public Schools

Buoyed by $6.6 billion in higher-than-anticipated tax revenue over two years, Gov. Jerry Brown’s revised budget provides public schools with $3 billion more than his January spending plan and eliminates $2.9 billion in taxes he previously wanted to extend.

The Democratic governor’s updated budget is still contingent on a five-year extension of a 1 cent sales tax increase due to expire this year but the $6.6 billion in higher tax collections took some of the sting out of potential cuts.    Read more »

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State Selects Up To 70 Parks for Closure

(The top of the press release is below. The list of potential closures, which would fall throughout the state, follows. Park closings are a common budget negotiating chit.)

California State Parks today announced a plan to close up to 70 of its 278 parks  due to budget cuts. The closures are necessary to achieve an $11 million reduction in the next fiscal year and $22 million in the fiscal year (beginning July 1, 2012).    Read more »

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Origins of California Place Names — Ceres

Ceres is a 43,000-population city located 80 miles south of Sacramento in Stanislaus County.

Its name is that of the Roman goddess of fertility, fecundity and, not surprisingly, agriculture.

Ceres, the sister of Jupiter – the Roman Zeus —  is the Romanized version of the Greek Demeter, goddess of harvests and seasons.    Read more »

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First the Cell Phones, Now This. Jeez, Pretty Soon There’ll Be No Plums Left

Governor Brown Proposes to Eliminate Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board

SACRAMENTO – In another move to save taxpayer dollars, Governor Edmund G. Brown, Jr. has proposed eliminating the Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board.

“Although state revenues have improved because of the underlying strength of California’s business climate, we’re not out of the woods yet – not even close,” Brown said.    Read more »

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Assembly Republicans Offer a Budget Plan Without “Tax Increases”

(Editor’s Note: Normally, news would seem to be if they offered a spending plan with tax increases. However…)

Breaking with past practice, Assembly Republicans offered their own budget solution that proposes to protect public school funding at funding for local law enforcement.

The seven-page summary comes five days before Gov. Jerry Brown issues has revised sending plan.    Read more »

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Is This Proposed Law Really Needed?

Passed by the Assembly and pending in the Senate is legislation that asks the state Department of General Services to “consider” some additional factors in their siting of state buildings.

The four-paragraph measure, AB 324 by Assemblywoman Joan Buchanan, a San Ramon Democrat,, does not “direct” or say the department “shall,” it just seeks consideration of the availability of transit areas where the building’s employees live and the location of those who would be served by the building’s offices.    Read more »

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Some Likely Victims in Gov. Jerry Brown’s Revised Budget

On May 16, Gov. Jerry Brown will present a revised budget plan that he insists will be balanced.

That means after $11.2 billion in spending decreases approved by lawmakers and signed into law by Brown in March, a $15.4 billion hole remains using the Democratic governor’s estimate of the gap between the state’s spending commitments and revenues of $26.6 billion.    Read more »

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Another Example of the Chief Correspondent Embarassing Himself in Another Medium. Of More Substance are the University of California’s A.G. Block, Board of Equalization Member George Runner and Santa Cruz County Treasurer Fred Keeley.

(Keeley and Runner get into a nifty point/counter-point.)

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Secretary of State: This Initiative Didn’t Make the Ballot Cut

Makes It a Crime for Undocumented Persons to Seek Work While Concealing Their Immigration Status and Also Makes It a Crime for Any Employer to Hire an Undocumented Person Intentionally or Negligently.

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