Capitol Alert
The latest on California politics and government
July 3, 2012

Gov. Jerry Brown and Democrats in the California Legislaturehave failed to reach a deal on pension changes, Brown’s office said today.

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BY IMRAN GHORI
STAFF WRITER
ighori@pe.com

Published: 02 July 2012 10:07 PM

The San Bernardino County grand jury is raising concerns about a November initiative that would cut the pay of county supervisors and supposedly reduce them to part-time status.

In a rare foray into election matters, the grand jury — a panel of private citizens that conducts nonbinding reviews of city and county government — compared the duties of supervisors with their counterparts at similar-sized and smaller counties. Its annual report for 2011-2012 was released Friday.

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Lori Fowler, Staff Writer
Created: 07/02/2012 05:25:42 PM PDT

The 2012-13 budget for the San Bernardino County Superior Court system will be finalized later this month, with millions of dollars in cuts expected.

Cuts to the court system in the fiscal year that started Sunday could reach as high as $25 million, according to court officials.

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Redlands city officials are debating many increases. One would raise a dog’s adoption from $10 to $129

BY JAN SEARS
STAFF WRITER
jsears@pe.com

Published: 02 July 2012 04:55 PM

The results of a study proposing fee increases for city services — from construction permits to adopting a dog from the city shelter — have raised concerns among city councilmen.

Nearly all city fees would be going up. Some would more than double, while others would increase as much as 21 times over current amounts.

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BY JIM MILLER
SACRAMENTO BUREAU
jmiller@pe.com

Published: 02 July 2012 03:34 PM

SACRAMENTO — State lawmakers passed landmark legislation meant to help homeowners facing foreclosure, over the objections of critics who said the measure would hamper the state’s fitful housing recovery while doing little to keep struggling borrowers in their homes.

The bill approved Monday, July 2, would make it more difficult for mortgage servicers to foreclose on homeowners trying to modify their loans. The legislation also would require lenders to create a single point of contact for borrowers. In addition, it would set penalties for “robo-signing” of foreclosure documents.

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Ryan Hagen, Staff Writer
Posted: 07/02/2012 08:40:08 PM PDT

SAN BERNARDINO – A rapid-transit bus system moved one step closer to operation Monday after the City Council approved a general plan amendment that creates specific zoning areas surrounding 13 transit stations along the route.

San Bernardino, Omnitrans and other transportation agencies have already begun constructing those stops along the sbX route, which will stretch from Cal State San Bernardino to Loma Linda University and include a designated bus lane for part of the trip.

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The budget signed by Gov. Jerry Brown assumes that California will take in revenue from the federal estate tax and that voters will approve $8 billion in tax hikes in the fall.

By Chris Megerian, Los Angeles Times
July 2, 2012, 9:59 p.m.

SACRAMENTO — Gov. Jerry Brown has bet a portion of California’s financial health on the expectation that a hyperpartisan Congress will change course on a hotly debated tax policy this year.

The budget Brown signed last week assumes that over the next four years the state will reap almost $2.3 billion from the federal estate tax, a levy on wealth inheritance. California hasn’t collected any revenue from the tax since 2004, and if Congress sticks with current policy it won’t in the coming years, either.

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