Politics, Government & Business in California's Inland Empire
Jason Abbott, Staff Writer
Friday, April 1, 2011 – 04:30 p.m.
Defense attorneys representing a defendant targeted by San Bernardino County District Attorney Mike Ramos and California Attorney General Kamala Harris are issuing a wave of subpoenas today to witnesses who will be expected to testify at an April 25th preliminary hearing on their knowledge of the 2006 Colonies Civil Case settlement that saved county taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars.
Friday, April 1, 2011 – 12:30 p.m.
Pressure continues to build on the U.S. economy this afternoon.
The price of West Texas Intermediate Light Sweet Crude closed above the $108 a barrel mark at $108.01 at the New York Merchantile Exchange this afternoon.
10:44 PM PDT on Thursday, March 31, 2011
By IMRAN GHORI and DUANE W. GANG
The Press Enterprise
For the second time in three years, San Bernardino County supervisors have been asked to testify before a criminal grand jury.
Investigators attempted to serve grand jury summons to four supervisors Thursday, according to two county officials who confirmed the subpoenas on the condition they not be identified.
By Joe Nelson Staff Writer
Created: 03/31/2011 09:44:53 PM PDT
A defense attorney said Thursday that San Bernardino County prosecutors may be seeking to dismiss criminal charges against former Assistant Assessor Jim Erwin in a corruption probe and pushing for a Grand Jury indictment instead.
By PE News
March 31, 2011 4:19 PM
Riverside council candidates in Wards 1 and 7 talked pensions Wednesday with members of the Service Employees International Union Local 721, which represents about 900 city workers.
By James Rufus Koren, Staff Writer
Created: 03/31/2011 11:44:13 AM PDT
Local school district leaders say it looks like they’ll have to implement their worst-case-scenario budgets because no deal is in place for the state to bring in more tax revenue.
11:39 PM PDT on Thursday, March 31, 2011
By JIM MILLER
Sacramento Bureau
SACRAMENTO – Legislators from Inland Southern California have introduced more than 200 bills this year, weighing in on subjects ranging from red-light cameras and the workplace to two-year budgets and aid for veterans.
March 31, 2011 5:13 PM
Natasha Lindstrom
SACRAMENTO • As Gov. Jerry Brown gives up on budget talks with Republicans, Victor Valley state representatives say they plan to spend the next month working aggressively toward an allcuts solution to the state budget mess.
With voters unlikely to support more tax hikes, schools will have to get creative — and efficient
March 31, 2011 5:18 PM
Beau Yarbrough
HESPERIA • As the California state legislature creeps toward a budget for the next year, Hesperia Unified officials are preparing for the worst-case scenario, and everything is on the table for potential cuts.
With talks with the GOP over in Sacramento, the governor says he’ll go on the road, including to many Republican districts, to persuade Californians of the need for a vote on tax extensions.
Gov. Jerry Brown responds to a question while appearing before the joint legislative budget conference committee at the Capitol in February. (Rich Pedroncelli, AP Photo)
By Anthony York, Los Angeles Times
April 1, 2011
Reporting from Sacramento— Gov. Jerry Brown plans to hit the road next week, taking his case for more taxes directly to voters following the collapse of budget negotiations in Sacramento this week.
Capitol Alert
The latest on California politics and government
March 31, 2011
As Democrats scramble to find a new budget course after talks collapsed this week, the California Federation of Teachers is calling for a 1 percent tax hike on the top 1 percent of earners as part of a state budget solution.
By Jon Ortiz
jortiz@sacbee.com
Published: Friday, Apr. 1, 2011 – 12:00 am | Page 1A
Last Modified: Friday, Apr. 1, 2011 – 12:13 am
Gov. Jerry Brown on Wednesday rolled out a sweeping and sometimes vague list of public employee retirement changes that he wants lawmakers to enact.
The 12-point list – five of which were described as “proposals under development” – immediately drew a mix of criticism, confusion and faint praise. A pension reform group thought the list was unambitious. A union executive wondered why Brown didn’t make his proposals at the bargaining table.
Capitol Alert
The latest on California politics and government
March 31, 2011
Updated at 1:40 p.m. to include response from Gov. Jerry Brown’s office.
Two days after Gov. Jerry Brown called off talks and suggested Republicans were obstructionist, Senate Republican leader Bob Dutton and his budget point man, Sen. Bob Huff, held a news conference today to explain their moves over the last week.
Politics Blog
Posted By: Carla Marinucci) | March 31 2011 at 12:10 PM
Gov. Jerry Brown has marshalled YouTube to make his case to California voters about solving the state budget fiasco — and now that talks with Republican lawmakers have broken down on an agreement, the…
Debra J. Saunders
San Francisco Chronicle
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Gov. Jerry Brown won the blame game and lost the budget.
Brown began with a proposal to put a measure on the ballot to extend the 2009 tax increases on income taxes, sales taxes and the vehicle license fee. It was a gamble. Voters rejected a similar tax measure in 2009. Most GOP lawmakers have signed no-new-taxes pledges. Even Brown didn’t dare campaign on today’s tax plan – and he’s a Democrat.
By Dale Kasler
dkasler@sacbee.com
Published: Friday, Apr. 1, 2011 – 12:00 am | Page 6B
CalSTRS’ pension funding shortfall has ballooned to $56 billion, a development likely to intensify the political debate over public employee retirement costs.
The California State Teachers’ Retirement System said Thursday its unfunded liabilities – the estimated gap between its assets and future pension obligations – increased by $15.5 billion in the fiscal year that ended last June. The new estimate came in a staff report to the CalSTRS governing board.
The State Worker
Chronicling civil-service life for California state workers
March 31, 2011
Contracts recently negotiated by Gov. Jerry Brown’s administration don’t come close to saving the state enough money, placing “greater pressure on the administration to achieve employee compensation savings through other administrative actions, such as hiring freezes, furlough programs, and layoffs,” an internal state memo says.