Plot Thickens on Proposed Sale of 11 State Office Buildings

Read this article from the Los Angeles Times.    Read more »

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Is Capital Pacific Holding Helping to Buy 11 State Buildings?

According to state records, one of the investors in California’s $2.3 billion sale of 11 state office buildings is a Newport Beach company founded and run, until 2008, by Hadi Makarechian, a contributor of more than $314,000 to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger since 2003 and nearly $175,000 to ballot measures backed by the GOP governor.    Read more »

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California’s Public Schools Are Doing More With Less Money*

Starting with the budget signed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in February 2009, the revisions to that in July 2009 and the record 100-day late budget signed in early October, public schools have been shorted $12.1 billion.

And because  temporary tax increases enacted in February 2009 will trigger off, lowering the state revenue available to support public schools, the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2011 will be just as grim for the state’s 6.2 million pupils and 300,210 teachers.    Read more »

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Take a Look at California’s Public Schools and Their Students*

In 1980, there were 4,119,000 students enrolled in California’s public schools.

Ten years later, there were 4,951,000.

In 2009, 6,252,000 — a 52 percent increase in 29 years.

Of those students, 3,065,00 are Latino — a 189 percent increase.

African Americans are 455,000 of those students — a 21 percent increase.    Read more »

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Guest Post: Another View of the State’s Grim Fiscal Condition

***** (Editor’s Note: This synopsis of the state’s fiscal condition, mildly edited by California’s Capitol,  was sent to clients of Greenburg Traurig, an international law firm. Among the entities Greenburg’s Sacramento lawyers represent are El Paso Corporation, the American Council of Life Insurers, Otis Elevator Company, MillerCoors LLC and Novartis Pharmaceuticals.)    Read more »

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How One Democratic Governor Responded to the Recession

Gov. Gregoire Suspends State Rule-Making Process

For Immediate Release: November 17, 2010

OLYMPIA – Gov. Chris Gregoire today signed an executive order suspending and limiting the state rule making process to help small businesses and local governments as the state continues its economic recovery.

“State rules are essential to protecting the health, safety, welfare and quality of life for Washingtonians.    Read more »

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As if the Legislative Analyst’s Report Wasn’t Grim Enough…

SACRAMENTO – State Controller John Chiang today released his monthly report covering California’s cash balance, receipts and disbursements in October.

Receipts for the month were $232.3 million, 4.6 percent above the recently enacted state budget estimates.

“The record 100-day budget stalemate pushed us past the point of having enough cash on hand to pay more than $8 billion in outstanding bills that came due when the budget was signed,” said  Chiang.    Read more »

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How Ugly Will Next Year’s Budget Be? Find Out November 10

Recently, Assembly Speaker John Perez predicted the state might face a budget shortfall of between $12 billion and $15 billion during the fiscal year that begins July 1, 2011.

Hopefully, the Los Angeles Democrat is right — although evidence suggests otherwise.

Californians will know whether Perez is or not on Wednesday, November 10, when the Legislative Analyst publishes its 2010 fiscal outlook, which examines the state’s economy and projects the condition of California’s budget for the next five years.    Read more »

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A Look at How Recent State Budgets Treat the Public Schools

Last June 22, California’s Capitol presented a comparison created by Michael Hulsizer, head of legislative affairs for the office of the Kern County Superintendent of Schools, of the state’s general fund revenue growth and public school spending from July 1, 1998 through the current fiscal year, which ends June 30, 2011.    Read more »

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Yet Another Daunting Problem for California’s Next Governor

Besides a projected budget shortfall of $21.3 billion in their first year in office, California’s next governor also faces an unemployment insurance fund that will end 2011 at least $13.4 billion in the red, according to the state Employment Development Department.

The insolvency of the fund, which is financed through employer contributions, will have an impact on the state’s cash-starved general fund next September when the state owes the federal government $362 million in interest on loans from Uncle Sam that have allowed the fund to keep issuing checks to out-of-work Californians.    Read more »

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