Politics, Government & Business in California's Inland Empire
Saturday, May 28, 2011 – 08:52 a.m.
San Bernardino County seems to be going in a circle in it’s hope to secure uniform labor concessions from its employee unions, while at the same time political power struggles affect the situation.
A situation that will complicate the county’s financial condition and impact operations.
By Andrew Edwards Staff Writer
Created: 05/27/2011 05:33:54 PM PDT
The Inland Empire’s traditional reliance upon construction and the availability of cheap land helps explain why the region lags behind coastal areas in recovering from the Great Recession’s job losses, a University of Redlands professor said.
FREEING UP STATE FUNDS
Bill enables counties to have an easier time expanding facilities to handle the planned thousands of transferred state prisoners
By Neil Nisperos Staff Writer
Created: 05/27/2011 04:42:18 PM PDT
Local sheriff’s departments are pleased that Gov. Jerry Brown has signed legislation that would ease financing for expanding county jail facilities to handle the up to 40,000 state prisoners who may be transferred to local lockups.
Emmerson
By PE Politics
May 27, 2011 5:13 PM
State Sen. Bill Emmerson, R-Hemet, has demanded a spending cap, revamped pension system for state workers, and easing of state regulations as part of any potential deal to let voters consider extending higher taxes.
By Jim Steinberg Staff Writer
Posted: 05/27/2011 05:59:20 PM PDT
RIALTO – Some 60 members of the Rialto Unified School District’s classified employee union carried signs and circulated through the school board meeting room Thursday night in protest of proposed work cuts – amounting to a month or more for many.
By Patrick McGreevy, Los Angeles Times
May 28, 2011
Reporting from Sacramento — A push by law enforcement and consumer groups to allow parents to restrict their children’s personal information on social networking sites and limit disclosure about adults has stalled in the Legislature amid aggressive lobbying by Facebook, Google, Twitter and other firms.
Employers are hiring again, but many salaries have stagnated or fallen in recent years and haven’t kept up with the higher costs of fuel and food.
By Alana Semuels, Los Angeles Times
May 27, 2011, 9:01 p.m.
Tangela Ridgeway agrees that the economy is improving. It’s just the pay that’s getting worse.
The 36-year-old mother of three used to make $18.75 an hour as a front desk agent at a Hollywood hotel. Now, she says, similar positions are listed at $14 an hour.
The National Assn. of Realtors says its index for pending home sales fell 11.6% from March and 26.5% from a year earlier, a sign of weakness as the spring shopping season starts.
By Alejandro Lazo, Los Angeles Times
May 28, 2011
Pending sales of previously owned homes took a tumble in April, according to data from an industry group, a foreboding sign that the key spring shopping season is off to a weak start.
The State Worker
Chronicling civil-service life for California state workers
May 27, 2011
A bill that would freeze pay for the highest-paid state workers stalled today in the Assembly Appropriations Committee, effectively killing it.
Contenders for the 2012 presidential campaign are showing more sympathy for illegal immigrants, possibly because the political environment has muted the need for them to talk tough.
By Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times
May 28, 2011
In the 2008 presidential campaign, some Republican contenders called for millions of people living in the country illegally to return to their native lands before being able to seek legal status.