California budget beyond repair
June 19, 2008
All the king’s horses and all the king’s men…Dan Walters of the Sacramento Bee sums up the chaos in Sacramento over the failure of the Legislature to meet the budget deadline (once again). He says: “Democratic leaders insist that they are being straightforward by proposing new taxes and eschewing the accounting gimmicks that have marked past budgets, but by plugging in multibillion-dollar revenue numbers without saying what taxes they want to raise or which loopholes they want to close, they’re still bobbing and weaving. Republican legislators are, however, being even less candid; they say they oppose new taxes but aren’t willing to say what they want to cut.” Walters concludes: Read more
Board of Supervisors’ 40% OPEB solution not good enough; defeat Piepho and Glover
May 28, 2008
At a recent CoCo Tax meeting, Daniel Borenstein of the Contra Costa Times, presented a summary of his detailed OPEB research. Even if the BOS makes good on its promise to prefund $20 million; Even if it ever gets around to adding a $588 million chunk by 2022-23; Even if it can pay $100 million dollars a year thereafter; Even if the County implements the proposed benefits changes to unrepresented workers, the County would still be $54 million short of 40-percent funding and still leave a 60 percent or $1.042 Billion balance due. Furthermore, even if the BOS added the same benefits changes to unionized employees, the County would still owe $705 million after 30 years. This is simply not acceptable. Read more
OPEN MIKE: Urgent change is needed; defeat Piepho
May 26, 2008
Urgent change is needed in Contra Costa County. The county Board of Supervisors has been totally reckless with money. Read more
Contra Costa Grand Jury should investigate County Hospital salaries
May 9, 2008
Contra Costa County’s Grand Jury should immediately begin an investigation of the County’s Medical Center. Specifically, it should investigate potential fraud on the part of administrators and lack of due diligence and oversight on the part of Contra Costa Supervisors (BOS) for not requiring audits and proper management to rein in labor costs. Read more
Supervisors slash services to protect union jobs
May 7, 2008
BUDGET 20008 — CLAIMS WE CAN’T BELIEVE IN
YES THEY CAN. Contra Costa County Supervisors (BOS) passed its 2008-09 budget by slashing county services to the poor and public safety. Let’s cut thru the spin from the Contra Costa Times:
- $51 million cut is still only 3.9 percent of $1.3 billion overall budget.
- “clamping down” and “capping subsidies” on health care benefits for non-union employees is serious cherry picking of low hanging fruit instead of dealing with union employees. Read more
Local One can solve county’s $51-million budget crisis in 2 minutes
May 4, 2008
A recent article by Marica Fritz of the Sacrmento Bee got me thinking. She contends that local public employee unions have all the power. They dominate electeds, communities, business interests, and taxpayers. In Russian, they got the juice (k’to komo), and could easily solve the fiscal crisis unfolding statewide. Read more
Where in the world are Supervisors Peipho and Glover?
May 2, 2008
After watching the local broadcast of the Supervisor debates, I have to ask…Where in the world are Supervisors Mary Piepho (D3) and Federal Glover (D5)? More accurately, what planet do they live on these days, as these two incumbent Contra Costa Supervisors (BOS) tell tall tales of accomplishment and leadership that does not have anything to do with reality, on this planet at least. Read more
Governor Schwarzenegger talks budget reform in Pleasant Hill
March 19, 2008
Contra Costa Times’ politics blogger, Josh Richmond, reports on the Governor’s budget discussion that took place in Pleasaqnt Hill, today. Click thru to hear the audio of the presentation.
Perata’s bizarre comments muddy school funding debate
March 18, 2008
This guy is nuts. Termed-out Democratic Senate leader, Dom Perata, laid out some insane claims yesterday in his whistle stop tour of the Bay Area to drum up support against education cuts during California’s budget crisis. Perata was flanked by local democrat soldiers, Assemblyman Mark DeSaulnier, who will be unopposed in the Democrat Primary for Torlakson’s seat, along with termed out Senator Tom Torlakson, who will be running for DeSaulnier’s seat; kind of a Contra Costa County two-fer.
When informed businesses are importing foreign workers that can actually read English while the government run schools fail to teach American kids how to spell, Perata lambasted business instead of poor school performance, “What the hell kind of sense does that make,” he railed while pounding the podium with a shoe.
Here’s a good one: “Can we afford to pay more taxes,” Perata asked? “No. But do we have to pay more? Yes, and we will.” If this guy keeps answering his own questions like this, California will be bankrupt before the guys in the white coats come with the meds.
Perata and his thralls in the Assembly have built the structural budget mess California is currently in by spending $400 million to $600 million a month more than it takes in.
