Marisa Lagos, Chronicle Staff Writer
Friday, December 30, 2011

The California Supreme Court dealt a deathblow to the state’s 60-year-old redevelopment program, ruling Thursday that lawmakers had the authority to eliminate the economic development program and striking down a law that would have allowed the agencies to exist in smaller form.

The ruling was the worst-case scenario for cities, which argued they needed the program to spur economic development in blighted areas and create jobs – but it was a win for Gov. Jerry Brown.

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BY DUANE W. GANG
STAFF WRITER
dgang@pe.com

Published: 29 December 2011 07:21 PM

Riverside County imposed pension changes on its largest union Thursday afternoon, a move that means 7,000 employees will begin paying more toward their own retirements starting next month.

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Josh Dulaney, Staff Writer
Posted: 12/29/2011 11:26:57 PM PST

It was a year packed with news.

As the roughest economy in decades continued, cities and school districts were hit with severe budget cuts, affecting teachers, counselors and ultimately students. A corruption scandal involving top former county officials continued to unfold. Cities and school districts gained new leaders and lost old ones.

Today, we look at what’s to come in San Bernardino and take stock of where it’s been.

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By Jim Sanders
jsanders@sacbee.com
The Sacramento Bee
Published: Friday, Dec. 30, 2011 – 12:00 am | Page 3A

Attorney General Kamala Harris’ first year in office saw her dive into a massive financial crisis by ordering an investigation into mortgage meltdowns, attracting a national spotlight for California’s top cop.

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