Politics, Government & Business in California's Inland Empire
Tuesday, July 10, 2012 – 09:00 p.m.
It’s official! San Bernadino, California will seek bankruptcy protection.
As forecast here at InlandPolitics.com, the San Bernardino City Council voted 4-2, with one member abstaining, to file for chapter 9 bankruptcy at an emergency meeting Tuesday night.
Tuesday, July 10, 2012 – 11:30 a.m.
Last Modified: Saturday, July 14, 2012 – 01:30 p.m.
The County of San Bernardino is about to take its turn in the pension bucket this year. A bucket likely to further pressure budget balancing measures.
The problem?
The San Bernardino County Employees Retirement Association (SBCERA), the county’s pension fund, at its latest actuarial update, was underwater by $1.7 billion and climbing, according to county sources.
Tuesday, July 10, 2012 – 11:00 a.m.
Budget forecasts provided to the San Bernardino Mayor and City Council last month reveal a city in deep financial trouble and a list of pie-in-the-sky short and long term solutions.
The city, which is currently operating without an approved budget, faces a projected current fiscal year operating deficit of more than $51 million.
Bankruptcy is becoming a larger spectre as more is uncovered.
Tuesday, July 10, 2012 – 10:30 a.m.
Here’s some information moving across the transom Tuesday morning.
Feinstein says no to debate challenge
U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-California) has rebuffed an election debate challenge from Republican Elizabeth Emken.
Tuesday, July 10, 2012 – 09:30 a.m.
California Secretary of State Debra Bowen issued numbers to propositions headed for the November ballot Monday afternoon.
Here is the official list:
Tuesday, July 10, 2012 – 09:25 a.m.
InlandPolitics.com would like to thank New York Times Columnist Joe Nocera for a content link to our blog in his op-ed discussing San Bernardino County’s plan to use eminent domain in dealing with the deepening foreclosure crisis.
Mr. Nocera’s op-ed was published Tuesday in the print and online versions of the New York Times.
BY JIM MILLER
SACRAMENTO BUREAU
jmiller@pe.com
Published: 10 July 2012 06:01 AM
SACRAMENTO — A large share of California’s electorate supports capping pensions for government workers and raising their retirement age, a new survey shows.
Yet any Capitol pension deal this summer is unlikely to have a significant effect on how voters decide Gov. Jerry Brown’s tax-increase measure this November, according to the Field Poll.
Neil Nisperos, Staff Writer
Posted: 07/09/2012 05:42:03 PM PDT
A bill inspired by the need to dilute the influence of big money in San Bernardino County is awaiting Gov. Jerry Brown’s signature.
The bill authored by Assemblyman Paul Cook, R-Yucaipa, would provide a more independent watchdog – the California Fair Political Practices Commission – to enforce San Bernardino County’s new campaign finance ordinance.
Doug Saunders, Staff Writer
Posted: 07/09/2012 09:20:42 PM PDT
SAN BERNARDINO – Assemblyman Tim Donnelly turned himself in to authorities as part of his plea deal following his arrest earlier this year on misdemeanor gun charges.
By Anthony York, Los Angeles Times
July 9, 2012, 10:13 p.m.
SACRAMENTO — A judge handed Gov. Jerry Brown a key victory Monday, clearing the way for the governor’s tax initiative to appear first among the propositions on the November ballot, possibly increasing its chances of passing.
Capitol Alert
The latest on California politics and government
July 9, 2012
Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association filed its own appeal today challenging newly enacted budget legislation that gives Gov. Jerry Brown’s tax initiative the top spot on the November ballot.
The group believes Assembly Bill 1499 violates the constitution by changing the ballot order through a majority-vote budget bill, said the group’s president, Jon Coupal. By using budget legislation, Democrats were able to change the ballot priority now rather than next year – an expedited schedule that normally would require a two-thirds vote of the Legislature.
By Jon Ortiz
jortiz@sacbee.com
Published: Tuesday, Jul. 10, 2012 – 12:00 am | Page 1A
Last Modified: Tuesday, Jul. 10, 2012 – 8:58 am
James Juarez, a 22-year-old Sacramento State student, has watched his tuition costs climb and class availability shrink over the last three years while the state put more money toward its pension obligations.
His conclusion: The level of public pension benefits is “outrageous – it’s not right.”
PolitiCal
On Politics in the Golden State
July 9, 2012 | 2:44 pm
“It’s a jobs creator, and thank God we got it,” Gov. Jerry Brown said of funding for high speed rail, narrowly approved by the Legislature last week. He and U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood were at the Port of Oakland on Monday to take a victory lap.
By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
Published: Tuesday, Jul. 10, 2012 – 12:00 am | Page 3A
Last Modified: Tuesday, Jul. 10, 2012 – 7:36 am
OK, so the state Senate, by the narrowest of margins, has approved spending for an initial, 130-mile segment of the bullet train that Gov. Jerry Brown so earnestly wants to build.
Where do we buy tickets?
Debra J. Saunders, Chronicle Columnist
Published 07:42 p.m., Monday, July 9, 2012
State Sen. Joe Simitian, D-Palo Alto, probably is best known as the author of California’s bill to ban the use of hand-held cell phones while driving. After Friday’s vote, Simitian may be best known as the Democrat who warned his colleagues not to issue $4.6 billion in bonds for big-ticket high-speed rail.
By Justin Sink – 07/09/12 08:44 PM ET
Mitt Romney’s $106 million fundraising haul not only stunned Democratic strategists but suggested the presumptive GOP nominee might be building an insurmountable financial advantage against President Obama.