State Income Tax Collections $5 Billion Above Estimates in January

Income tax collections by the state in January – estimated payments by individuals and withholding done by employers totaled $12.7 billion — $5 billion over the Brown’s administration’s estimates, the Legislative Analyst said February 1.

While the analyst noted that more revenues now could mean less later – particularly in April, the highest collection month of the year — the unexpected cash may just be more cash than expected.    Read more »

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Sounds Very Informative

Didn’t see the advertisement for the seminar on AB8 and its impact on the state’s fiscal relationship with local government.    Read more »

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Legislation Would Boost Number of Californians Eligible for State-Paid Medical Care

Democratic leaders of the Assembly and the Senate introduced legislation January 28 to carry out a federal mandate starting in 2014 to expand eligibility to 1.6 million Californians for Medi-Cal, the state’s health care system for the poor.

The action coincided with the beginning of a special legislative session called by Gov.    Read more »

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Jerry Brown on the Viability of High Speed Rail

“We all know the story of ‘The Little Engine That Could.’

 “The big engines were asked to haul the freight train over the mountain. They said, ‘Can’t do it.’ They asked another, ‘Can’t do it.’ The little train said, ‘I think I can.’

“And so the engine pulled in front of the long line of freight cars and started puffing away.    Read more »

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Brown Offers Upbeat State of the State Speech

Saying California was “back” and “on the move,” a chipper Gov. Jerry Brown urged lawmakers in his annual State of the State speech January 24 to streamline funding for schools, focus on implementing federal health care reform and keep a tight rein on spending so the budget stays balanced.

The Democratic governor said he had “never been more excited” about California’s prospects, praising the Golden State’s promise and improved fiscal condition while largely reiterating the same policy agenda contained in the budget he unveiled January 10.    Read more »

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Bipartisan Effort to End the Legislature’s 30-Days-in-Print Anachronism

One of the Legislature’s archaic rules that lawmakers say needlessly delays action on bills would be eliminated through a newly introduced constitutional amendment Republican and Democratic lawmakers hope to place on the 2014 ballot.

If voters approve, the change would end the Legislature’s 30-days-in-print rule, which requires exactly that:

No hearing or vote can be taken on legislation until it sits for 30 days after being introduced.    Read more »

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“One Today” By Richard Blanco

One sun rose on us today, kindled over our shores,peeking over the Smokies, greeting the facesof the Great Lakes, spreading a simple truthacross the Great Plains, then charging across the Rockies. One light, waking up rooftops, under each one, a storytold by our silent gestures moving behind windows. 

My face, your face, millions of faces in morning’s mirrors, each one yawning to life, crescendoing into our day: pencil-yellow school buses, the rhythm of traffic lights, fruit stands: apples, limes, and oranges arrayed like rainbowsbegging our praise.    Read more »

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Reaction to Gov. Jerry Brown’s Budget

A scrupulously arbitrary review of 16 statements by lawmakers and statewide elected officials finds Gov. Jerry Brown’s latest budget plan to be generally praiseworthy.

“It’s not time to roll out a ‘Mission Accomplished’ banner yet, but today’s news gives Californians a reason to hold our heads high and put dunce caps on our state’s critics,” says Assemblyman Bob Blumenfield, a Van Nuys Democrat who chairs the lower house’s budget committee.    Read more »

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Gov. Jerry Brown Presents His Budget for the Fiscal Year Beginning July 1

Watch it here.

 Read this at Capitol Weekly.

     Read more »

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What to Expect — And Not Expect — In Gov. Jerry Brown’s New Budget

 The $130 billion budget Gov. Jerry Brown will unveil January 10 will largely be a yawner.

Relatively speaking anyway.

There’ll be no deluge of doom-and-gloom denunciations over the draconian measures the Democratic governor proposes as there were two years ago when the state faced an estimated $26.6 billion gap between revenues and spending commitments.    Read more »

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