The Assembly and Senate’s Star-Crossed Calendars

For the first time in nearly 50 years, the Assembly and the Senate have different calendars.

Separate calendars don’t seem remotely like either calamity or catastrophe but in the insular world of the state Capitol, seemingly small stuff – like summer vacation or lack thereof — often becomes A VERY BIG DEAL.    Read more »

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Hard to Spend It All in One Place — Or Is It?

(The Legislative Analyst said April 26  that despite an uncharacteristic month of income tax collections, the state will likely end April with $4.5 billion more in revenues than predicted in the budget GOv. Jerry Brown introduced in January.

“Our best estimate is that the state will end April with (personal income tax) collections for the fiscal year to date … somewhere around $4.5 billion ahead of the administration’s estimates.    Read more »

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California’s Revenue Cup Continues to Runneth Over

Net state income tax collections for April climbed to $10.1 billion through April 18 — $1.5 billion more than needed for the $138 billion budget proposed by Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown to remain in balance.

Brown’s January budget plan called for the state to receive $13.3 billion in net income tax receipts in April but because of nearly $5 billion more than expected in January tax payments, only $8.5 billion was necessary in April to stay on target.    Read more »

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The Rest Is Gravy — April Tax Receipts Keep Budget Balanced

The Franchise Tax Board reported another $2.9 billion in state income tax payments on April 17 bringing the month’s total net receipts to nearly $9 billion.

That’s very good news for state budget writers because it means – at a minimum — Gov. Jerry Brown’s January budget plan remains balanced.

“With month-to-date (state income tax) collections, net of refunds, now approaching the $9 billion mark, California has surpassed the $8.5 billion total for the month that was necessary to remain on track with the administration’s most recent revenue estimates,” the Legislative Analyst writes on its website.    Read more »

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The Difference a Day Makes — About $2.8 Billion

California logged more than $2.8 billion in state income tax receipts on April 16 pushing month-to-date collections close to $7.5 billion – less than half way to April’s ’s estimated $16 billion total.

Through April 15th, income tax collections were just over $4.7 billion in withholding by employers and estimated payments by individuals.    Read more »

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California Unlikely to Collect Expected $16 Billion in April Tax Receipts — And No One Cares

A record $16 billion in income tax revenue will flow into state coffers during April, according to predictions in Gov. Jerry Brown’s January budget plan.

About $5 billion of that $16 billion comes from higher taxes approved by voters in November through Proposition 30 — $4.5 billion in taxes owed for 2012 and $500 million in estimated payments for what’s due next April.    Read more »

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Lawmakers Back More Money to Confiscate Illegal Weapons from Californians

The state Department of Justice is likely to win legislative approval by the end of April to use $24 million in registration fees paid by gun owners to speed up taking away weapons from Californians prohibited from owning them.

Emergency legislation is awaiting action on the Assembly floor that would earmark the money, already collected by the department, to enforce the findings of its Armed Prohibited Persons System, which has identified 38,563 handguns and 1,647 so-called assault weapons in the hands of 19,770 Californians, such as felons or the mentally ill, who the law says can’t possess them.    Read more »

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Sacramento Has Apparently Been Annexed By Los Angeles

Eric Garcetti is running for Los Angeles mayor “with a focus on job creation and solving everyday problems for LA residents,” his campaign biography says.

He was president of the Los Angeles City Council from 2006 to 2012. 

Additionally, the biography notes that Garcetti was raised in the San Fernando Valley, graduated from Columbia University, was a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford and the London School of Economics and taught at Occidental College and the University of Southern California.    Read more »

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Of Foreign Relations and Testosterone

“Foreign relations, to a great extent, has a lot of male testosterone involved,” U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein said April 4 in San Francisco.

The comment by the senior senator from California came during an answer to a question about tensions In North Korea at the University of California at Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies annual Salon Gala dinner.     Read more »

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Fevered Tail-Wagging and Lolling of Tongues

A bill its author says will help open more dog parks around the state by protecting cities and counties from liability for any “injury or death suffered by any person or pet” occurring at those parks won unanimous approval April 3 by the Assembly Judiciary Committee.

The bipartisan agreement on the measure might stem from its subject matter.    Read more »

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