The State Worker
Chronicling civil-service life for California state workers
By Adam Ashton
aashton@sacbee.com
April 25, 2017 – 7:00 AM

Public employee unions presented a united front on Monday against a bill by Sen. John Moorlach that aimed to close California’s pension funding gap by eliminating cost-of-living increases and asking local governments to chip in a greater share of their revenue toward retirements.

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By Laren Leichliter
Posted: 04/14/17 – 1:40 PM PDT |

The Southern California News Group should take note of four glaring facts that were flatly ignored in Sal Rodriguez’s commentary (“Troubling ties between public officials, unions”) printed April 2, and a subsequent editorial (“Deputies get benefit of favoritism by DA”) printed April 9.

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San Bernardino County District Attorney Mike Ramos

Posted: 04/07/17 – 6:07 PM PDT |

The assault of Francis Pusok in 2015 by San Bernardino County sheriff’s deputies was televised for the entire country to see. Unlike some cases in recent years in which one could plausibly explain away and even justify use of force by officers, the beating of Pusok was indisputably excessive.

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San Bernardino County District Attorney Mike Ramos.

By Joe Nelson, The Sun
Posted: 03/30/17 – 8:08 PM PDT |

A senior prosecutor’s assertion that the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department fosters a “culture of violence” outraged a local law enforcement labor union, prompting a swift apology from the supervising deputy district attorney and a public statement from the district attorney himself.

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By Louis Casiano Jr. / Staff Writer
March 17, 2017

SANTA ANA – A private detective who admitted he tried to set up a Costa Mesa councilman for a false DUI and tailed the city’s former mayor using a tracking device was sentenced by an Orange County Superior Court judge Friday to one year in jail.

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By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
February 6, 2017 – 2:53 PM

Whenever the U.S. Senate confirms Neil Gorsuch – or some other Donald Trump nominee – to the U.S. Supreme Court, it will face a plethora of issues, and those involving California will be among the most controversial.

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Supervisor Marion Ashley suggests that his peers defer pay increases since unions are being asked to hold the line on raises.

By Jeff Horseman / Staff Writer
Published: Dec. 7, 2016
Updated:   Dec. 8, 2016 – 4:47 p.m.

Riverside County Supervisor Marion Ashley wants his peers to defer the automatic pay raises they received over the summer to show empathy with union employees, who also are being asked to forgo raises.

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The State Worker
By Adam Ashton
aashton@sacbee.com
December 3, 2016 – 12:07 PM

A day after halting plans for a strike, state government’s largest employee union announced that it had reached a tentative agreement for a new contract.

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The State Worker
By Alexei Koseff
akoseff@sacbee.com
December 2, 2016 – 2:47 PM

A one-day strike by California’s largest state employee union, set for Monday, has been called off.

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By Bob Egelko
Published: November 26, 2016
Updated:   November 26, 2016 – 6:00am

With his first Supreme Court appointment, President-elect Donald Trump will be in a position to deal a severe blow to unions representing government workers, the stronghold of organized labor in the United States.

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The State Worker
By Jim Miller
jmiller@sacbee.com
November 22, 2016 – 5:53 PM

California’s largest state-employee union announced Tuesday that it will go on strike Dec. 5 in response to what union leaders complain is “unlawful conduct and egregious unfair labor practices” during negotiations for a new contract.

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Gov. Jerry Brown’s $68 billion high speed rail project could be forced to go before voters again for approval if Proposition 53 passes.

By Paul Rogers | progers@bayareanewsgroup.com
Published: October 18, 2016 at 1:56 pm |
Updated: October 19, 2016 at 6:36 am

With less than three weeks until Election Day, Gov. Jerry Brown and his political allies are suddenly pumping money into the campaign to defeat Proposition 53, a previously low-profile measure that could be the death knell of Brown’s high-speed rail and Delta tunnels projects.

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[arve url=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/V4-D8qfbgB0″]

Tuesday, October 11, 2016 – 09:30 a.m.

The runoff election to decide who will hold the First District seat on the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors has heated up.

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Washington

By Jeff Horseman / Staff Writer
Published: Sept. 15, 2016 – 9:41 a.m.

Riverside County Supervisor Chuck Washington is getting a boost from his colleagues and a public safety union in his bid for a full four-year term on the Board of Supervisors.

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By Neil Nisperos, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
Posted: 09/08/16 – 8:09 PM PDT |

COLTON >> Former employees at the Ashley Furniture plant in Colton say they want justice and an apology over a recent mass layoff they see as a betrayal and retaliation for their failed attempt at unionization last year.

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Howard Blume and Joy Resmovits
August 23, 2016

Monday was the end of the line for a landmark California case challenging tenure and other traditional job protections for teachers — and the teachers won.

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The State Worker
By Rachel Cohrs
rcohrs@sacbee.com
July 29, 2016 – 10:17 AM

The state has offered a nearly 12 percent general salary increase for SEIU Local 1000 employees spread out over four years, or a 9 percent increase over three years.

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John Myers
July 14, 2016 – 4:20 P.M.

Backers of the effort to extend the lifespan of California’s tax rates on the most wealthy boosted their campaign coffers Thursday, with a $10-million contribution from the California Teachers Assn.

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Tuesday, June 21, 2106 – 10:30 a.m.

A long-running and costly legal battle between San Bernardino County, it’s Office of the Public Defender, and the San Bernardino County Public Attorney’s Association just ended with the county getting slammed by a state agency.

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The State Worker
By Jon Ortiz
jortiz@sacbee.com
June 14, 2016 – 3:44 PM

• Union president, three vice presidents would share $143,000 under plan
• Leading dissident says proposal ‘will destroy union democracy’
• Previous Local 1000 stipend proposals have stalled

Prepare for another round of infighting if you’re in SEIU Local 1000.

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By Joe Nelson, The Sun
Posted: 06/03/16 – 9:17 PM PDT |

Officials with the labor union representing San Bernardino County sheriff’s deputies said Friday that prison realignment and a shortage of deputies has prompted a safety campaign that has delayed the transport of inmates to court.

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Mark Gutglueck
Posted on May 28, 2016

In recent weeks SEBA, the union representing San Bernardino County’s sheriff’s deputies, has stepped up activity aimed at persuading top county officials to accede to its demands for compensation increases.

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Thursday, May 26, 2016 – 02:30 p.m.

San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Deputies have fallen into the ranks of some of the lowest compensated in Southern California.

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Published: May 26, 2016 – 12:09 p.m.

The Riverside Sheriffs’ Association has not endorsed anyone in the race for the Third District seat on the Riverside County Board of Supervisors. But it’s pretty clear who they don’t like.

To read article by Jeff Horseman in The Press-Enterprise, click here.

Lolita Harper, spokeswoman for the San Bernardino County Safety Employees Benefit Association, the labor union representing county sheriff’s deputies and district attorney investigators, speaks during a rally Tuesday outside the San Bernardino County Government Center pushing for higher pay for sheriff’s deputies. SEBA has been in labor negotiations with the county for more than a year. (Photo by Joe Nelson)

By Joe Nelson, The Sun
Posted: 05/24/16 – 11:30 AM PDT |

SAN BERNARDINO >> Dozens of San Bernardino County sheriff’s deputies rallied outside the County Government Center on Tuesday, pushing for higher pay after more than a year of stalled contract negotiations.

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By Ed Mendel
May 23, 2016

Annual rates paid by employers to CalPERS and CalSTRS are going up, pension funding levels haven’t recovered from a big drop during the recession, and Gov. Brown’s pension reform put a lid on pension increases.

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Sunday, May 15, 2016 – 10:00 a.m.

I routinely get myriad emails over issues in San Bernardino County, the local government’s operations in general

The latest one, arriving Friday evening, caught my attention and is deserving of short commentary.

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John Myers
May 11, 2016 – 2:07 P.M.

When Gov. Jerry Brown asked California voters to raise taxes in 2012 , he made clear that it was temporary, revenues needed to balance the books for only a few years.

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The State Worker
By Jon Ortiz
jortiz@sacbee.com
May 11, 2016 – 11:58 AM

• Three-year deal includes salary increases
• Employees to begin contributing to retiree medical benefit
• Pay for medical checkups now pensionable

California’s correctional officers will see a raise on their July paychecks under terms of a new contract they overwhelmingly ratified, the union announced this week.

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Published: May 9, 2016
Updated:   May 11, 2016 – 6:45 a.m.

Critics of San Bernardino Democrat Cheryl Brown have a new nickname for the Inland assemblywoman – “Chevron Cheryl.”

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Luke Money
April 29, 2016

Two private investigators can be tried on charges of false imprisonment and conspiracy in connection with a fake DUI report against a Costa Mesa city councilman in 2012, an Orange County judge ruled Friday.

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The State Worker
By Jon Ortiz
jortiz@sacbee.com
April 11, 2016 – 12:19 PM

• Tentative deal makes fitness pay pensionable
• Some leave counts toward overtime threshold
• State’s annual payments to union’s benefits trust fund will nearly triple to $14 million

The latest tentative labor agreement with California’s correctional officers proves that there’s more than one way to boost employee compensation without calling it a “raise.”

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California State University and its faculty union jointly announced Friday a deal that will raise instructor salaries 10.5 percent over the next two years.

Capitol Alert
By Alexei Koseff
akoseff@sacbee.com
April 8, 2016 – 10:00 AM

• Deal includes 7 percent bump this year
• CSU chancellor says deal provides ‘breathing room’ to figure out how to pay for it
• Strike scheduled for next week averted

Just days before California State University professors were expected to walk out on the job, Chancellor Timothy White and the California Faculty Association jointly announced Friday a tentative contract agreement far more expansive than the 5 percent raise teaching staff sought for nearly a year.

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Rebecca Friedrichs, a veteran Orange County public school teacher, sued to challenge the mandatory fees paid to the California Teachers Assn. (Greg Schneider / Associated Press)

David G. Savage
March 29, 2016

A well-planned legal assault on public unions collapsed Tuesday when the Supreme Court deadlocked over a California woman’s lawsuit to strike down mandatory fees, the strongest evidence yet that Justice Antonin Scalia’s death has stymied the court’s conservatives.

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John Myers and Liam Dillon
March 26, 2016

Lawmakers and labor unions have struck a tentative deal to raise the statewide minimum wage to $10.50 an hour next year and then gradually to $15, averting a costly political campaign this fall and possibly putting California at the forefront of a national movement.

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By Don Thompson
Mar. 16, 2016 4:41 PM ET

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — The union representing most California state prison guards says it has agreed to a new labor contract that includes a 9 percent salary increase over three years.

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Assemblywoman Cheryl Brown (D-San Bernardino), right, speaks at a town hall meeting at San Bernardino Valley College flanked by members of the Assembly’s moderate Democratic caucus. (Christine Mai-Duc)

Christine Mai-Duc
March 12, 2016

What happens when a Democratic lawmaker strays from party leaders on a key piece of Gov. Jerry Brown’s policy agenda? One assemblywoman who held back support for a sweeping climate-change bill last year is starting to find out.

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Members of the California Faculty Association and supporters attend a meeting of Cal State trustees in Long Beach on March 8. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

Carla Rivera
March 8, 2016

California State University faculty members appealed to trustees Tuesday to do more to avert a strike at the nation’s largest university system, but the two sides remain at odds over salaries for about 26,000 professors, lecturers, librarians, counselors and coaches.

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Saturday, February 27, 2016 – 04:00 p.m.

The union representing public attorneys employed by San Bernardino County has secured a new collective bargaining agreement through August 2019.

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Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia died over the weekend, potentially affecting cases before the court, including an attempt to limit the financial reach of teachers unions. (Manuel Balce Ceneta / Associated Press)

Howard Blume
February 14, 2016

The death of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia could deal a major blow to a California lawsuit that had been widely expected to weaken the financial muscle of teachers unions across the country.

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Democratic Assembly candidate Eloise Reyes.

Published: Feb. 5, 2016 Updated: 1:49 p.m.

After her rival won the Democratic Party’s pre-endorsement, state Assembly candidate Eloise Reyes is striking back with the AFL-CIO’s help.

To read post by Jeff Horseman in The P-E Political Empire Blog, click here.

The State Worker
By Jon Ortiz
jortiz@sacbee.com
February 2, 2016 – 5:38 PM

At 11,459 pages, the political action committee finance statement filed by the California Correctional Peace Officers Association Monday night is a hefty tome and quite possible a record-setter for the largest disclosure ever filed by a PAC.

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By Ryan Hagen, The Sun
Posted: 02/01/16 – 9:26 PM PST |

SAN BERNARDINO >> An agreement between the city and its firefighter union that ends more than $40 million worth of disputes is now final, with approval from both sides.

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By Brian Mahoney and Josh Gerstein
Published: 01/11/16 – 11:54 AM EST
Updated: 01/11/16 – 02:26 PM EST

The Supreme Court appeared ready Monday to bar public-sector unions from collecting “fair-share” fees from non-members, a move that could deal a political blow to Democrats by reducing union membership drastically and draining union coffers.

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Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy, seated next to McClatchy High School teacher Ellen Wong in 2013, appears to be the swing vote in a case involving public employee unions forcing nonmembers to pay dues. (Renée C. Byer – Sacramento Bee file)

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By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
January 11, 2016 3:57 PM

• Lawsuit being argued challenges mandatory union dues
• Justices’ comments indicate unions will lose
• A loss could affect the clout unions have enjoyed

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By Michael Doyle
mdoyle@mcclatchydc.com
January 8, 2016 – 2:40 PM

• Some educators oppose paying fees to California Teachers Association
• Conservatives see a chance to overturn prior Supreme Court ruling
• Unions fear that a loss will undermine their viability

Washington, D.C. —

The Supreme Court on Monday will hear oral argument in a case called Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association. It’s one of the most hotly contested disputes of the court’s 2015-16 term, with serious stakes for law, politics and business.

It raises lots of questions; here are some of them.

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By Jessica Kwong / Staff Writer
Dec. 24, 2015 – Updated 9:25 a.m.

SANTA ANA – Employees with Orange County’s largest union are heading into the holidays assured of their biggest salary raise since the recession, under a three-year contract the Board of Supervisors approved Wednesday morning.

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By Ryan Hagen, The Sun
Posted: 12/22/15 – 7:39 PM PST |

An appeals court once again ruled against the San Bernardino City Professional Firefighters and in favor of the city Tuesday, affirming U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Meredith Jury’s conclusion that nothing in the city charter or state law prevents the city from outsourcing its Fire Department.

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By Joe Nelson, The Sun
Posted: 12/15/15, 7:36 PM PST |

The Safety Employees Benefit Association, San Bernardino County’s labor union representing sheriff’s deputies, detectives and district attorney investigators, has declared an impasse with the county in its labor negotiations.

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By Jon Ortiz
jortiz@sacbee.com
December 10, 2015

• Proponents will poll language to gauge likelihood of success
• Decision whether to proceed likely by mid-January
• Unions vow to ‘throw the kitchen sink’ at either proposal

California moved one step closer to a public retirement fight after the state issued official summaries for two pension-change ballot proposals on Thursday – and for the first time neither labor unions nor the measures’ proponents griped that the language was politically slanted or inaccurate.

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The politically powerful California Nurses Association announced Wednesday that it is endorsing Gavin Newsom for governor nearly three full years before the general election contest.

Cathleen Decker
December 6, 2015

Two things were evident amid the fusillades of confetti and extended glad-handing at last week’s endorsement of gubernatorial candidate Gavin Newsom by the politically powerful California Nurses Assn.

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Sunday, November 29, 2015 – 09:00 a.m.

With neighboring Los Angeles County handing 36-month contracts containing 10-percent across-the-board salary increases for employees, certain San Bernardino County employee unions find themselves in an uncomfortable situation to say the least.

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Abby Sewell
November 20, 2015

Workers represented by Los Angeles County’s largest employee union voted to approve a tentative agreement with county management that would give them a 10% raise over three years.

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Wednesday, November 11, 2015 – 08:30 a.m.

The largest union representing San Bernardino County workers, Teamsters Local 1932, has set a contract ratification vote in motion.

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Thursday, November 5, 2015 – 09:00 a.m.

If San Bernardino County leaders want a reason to push back at union demands for salary and benefit increases they now have it.

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Capitol Alert
By Alexei Koseff
akoseff@sacbee.com
November 4, 2015

• More than 94 percent of voting members give union permission to call strike in salary dispute with university

Amid a contract dispute, the California State University faculty union announced Wednesday that it has overwhelmingly authorized a strike for the fourth time in eight years.

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Capitol Alert
By Christopher Cadelago
ccadelago@sacbee.com
September 21, 2015

• Measure expands, makes permanent income tax increases
• Coalition includes Hospital Association, health workers’ union

A group of health and youth advocates on Monday introduced a ballot initiative to expand and make permanent the Proposition 30 income tax increases on the state’s highest earners.

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Judge Meredith Jury ruled Thursday the city hadn’t met its legal obligation to bargain with the fire union before outsourcing the Fire Department. FILE PHOTO

By Ryan Hagen, The Sun
Posted: 09/17/15 – 11:00 PM PDT |

RIVERSIDE >> In a decision she acknowledged “puts a bunch of marbles on the road to reorganization” for San Bernardino, Judge Meredith Jury ruled Thursday the city hadn’t met its legal obligation to bargain with the fire union before outsourcing the Fire Department.

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Capitol Alert
By Christopher Cadelago
ccadelago@sacbee.com
September 14, 2015

• Measure would generate $7 billion to $9 billion

With California’s Proposition 30 income tax hikes expiring in 2018, a coalition of education and other groups on Monday filed an initiative for next year’s ballot to temporarily extend those taxes on some of the wealthiest residents.

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By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
September 13, 2015

• Unions want to change Proposition 13
• Despite rhetoric, no proposal offered
• Proposition 30 extension complicates picture

What’s in a word? How about billions of dollars?

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By Ryan Hagen, The Sun
Posted: 09/08/15 – 4:08 PM PDT |

RIVERSIDE >> San Bernardino has a tentative contract agreement with its largest employee group, the so-called general unit, the city’s bankruptcy attorney announced in court Tuesday.

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By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
September 6, 2015

• A sixth of state’s workers are union members
• Labor wields a big stick in the Capitol
• Union political power faces two big threats

Only a sixth of California’s 15 million wage and salary workers belong to labor unions, most of them government workers.

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What happens could be an indicator for negotiations with other labor units whose deals expire next year.

Published: Aug. 30, 2015 – Updated: 11:14 p.m.

Members of a union representing Riverside County prosecutors and other county lawyers have been working since the end of June without a new contract and the county is taking a firm line on pay raises, according to the union’s president.

To read story by Jeff Horseman in The Press-Enterprise, click here.

Riverside Sheriffs’ Association says it no longer backs Stan Sniff, citing his “autocratic” leadership.

Published: Aug. 14, 2015 – Updated: 8:52 p.m.

The union representing Riverside County sheriff’s deputies has pulled its support from Sheriff Stan Sniff and accused him of a dictatorial approach that shunned union input on the deployment of body-mounted cameras and other matters.

To read article by Jeff Horseman in The Press-Enterprise, click here.

By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
August 13, 2015

• Proposal would let voters decide on new pension benefits
• But summary says it would affect current pensions
• Harris’ action sets stage for political battle next year

Kamala Harris is not only California’s attorney general, but a very ambitious politician who hopes to become a U.S. senator.

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Judy Lin, Associated Press
Tuesday, August 11, 2015 – Updated 11:14 pm

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Proponents of a California pension initiative said Tuesday that state Attorney General Kamala Harris is once again favoring labor unions by using the same words she used to describe their previous failed bid to limit taxpayer spending on public pensions.

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By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
August 2, 2015

• David Crane critical of pension funding
• It’s cost him two high state appointments
• But investor/teacher still firing bullets

There may not be a bounty on his head, but David Crane sits atop the enemies list for California’s public employee unions.

Read the rest of this entry »

San Bernardino Mayor Carey Davis called the contract agreement between the city and the San Bernardino Police Officers Association “very favorable” to the city.

By Ryan Hagen, The Sun
Posted: 07/29/15 – 5:42 PM PDT |

After more than two years of police leaving San Bernardino, saying the lack of a contract robbed them of a sense of stability in a city where many residents say crime is their top concern, the police union and city negotiators both say they’ve agreed on a new contract.

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By Daniel Borenstein, Staff Columnist
Posted: 07/24/2015 – 04:00:00 PM PDT

Although public employee pension plans across California are badly underfunded, union leaders have expressed little concern about the security of workers’ retirement pay.

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By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
July 20, 2015

• Labor biggest donor to legislative campaigns
• Dozens of union-backed bills await final action
• One major measure would enhance contract secrecy

Only a sixth of California’s wage earners are members of labor unions, but they carry a very big stick in politics.

Read the rest of this entry »

By Daniel Borenstein, Staff Columnist
Posted: 07/17/2015 – 04:00:00 PM PDT

Organized labor has lined up behind legislation purporting to promote government contract transparency. It’s a sham.

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By Dan Morain
dmorain@sacbee.com
July 18, 2015

• California Teachers Association faces a major test in the U.S. Supreme Court
• Conservatives shift their assault on CTA and other unions to the courts
• Same-sex marriage, Democratic politics are implicated in Friedrichs v. CTA

For decades, organized labor, particularly the union that represents public school teachers, has been checking off boxes in California.

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By Ryan Hagen, The Sun
Posted: 07/15/15 – 9:22 PM PDT |

RIVERSIDE >> Nothing in the city charter prevents San Bernardino from outsourcing its Fire Department, a federal bankruptcy judge ruled Wednesday in a blow to the fire union that its attorneys immediately said they would appeal.

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By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
June 30, 2015

• Orange County teacher challenges California Teachers Association
• U.S. Supreme Court agrees to hear case in next term
• Were CTA to lose, it would affect its political power

California figured prominently, albeit indirectly, in the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent high-profile decisions on Obamacare, same-sex marriages and congressional redistricting.

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Rebecca Friedrichs, a veteran Orange County teacher, is the lead plaintiff in a case brought by group of California schoolteachers, backed by a conservative group, asking the Supreme Court to rule that unions representing government workers can’t collect fees from those who choose not to join. (Greg Schneider/Courtesy of the Center for Individual Rights via AP)

By Sam Hananel, Associated Press
Posted: 06/30/15 – 8:12 AM PDT |

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court will consider limiting the power of government employee unions to collect fees from non-members in a case that labor officials say could threaten membership and further weaken union clout.

Read the rest of this entry »

Politics
June 24, 2015
By Sam Hananel, Associated Press

Washington — Powerful public-sector unions are facing another high-profile legal challenge that they say could wipe away millions from their bank accounts and make it tougher for them to survive.

Read the rest of this entry »

By Geoffrey Mohan
June 3, 2015

The drought is on track to dry up $2.7 billion in revenue and erase more than 18,600 jobs from the California economy this year, according to a preliminary report.

Read the rest of this entry »

The State Worker
By Jon Ortiz
jortiz@sacbee.com
June 1, 2015

• Draft legislation lowers benefits for future hires when they retire
• Brown bargaining medical coverage terms with unions

Even as Gov. Jerry Brown bargains changes to retiree health benefits with four state-employee unions, his administration has drawn up some unnumbered bills that reveal the governor’s thinking on how to cut those costs long-term.

Read the rest of this entry »

Gov. Jerry Brown has opposed an extension of Proposition 30, the 2012 measure that temporarily increased the sales tax by a quarter-cent and raised levies on high earners. (Justin Sullivan, Getty Images)

By Chris Megerian
May 25, 2015

When it comes to California’s roller-coaster finances, Gov. Jerry Brown has bent lawmakers and voters to his will, rejecting new spending programs, passing a temporary tax hike and strengthening the state’s rainy-day fund.

Read the rest of this entry »

Sunday, May 24, 2015 – 01:00 p.m.

California water agencies are at it big time

Using the drought as a driving force. Water suppliers are hammering away at rate increases in every shape or form possible.

Read the rest of this entry »

Union tosses cash at lobbying despite retirement shortfalls

By Jeffrey Scott Shapiro
The Washington Times
Wednesday, May 20, 2015

The Teamsters have begun informing retirees and current workers that their pension benefits may soon be cut, the final ironic twist to a lobbying campaign that saw the union spend its own members’ dollars to win the right to shrink their retirement pay.

Read the rest of this entry »

By Ryan Hagen, The Sun
Posted: 05/20/15 – 7:53 PM PDT |

SAN BERNARDINO >> The city might become the first in the state to rely on a for-profit firm for firefighting and emergency medical services, but to do so it will have to overcome opposition that’s already mounting up and down the state.

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By Ryan Hagen, The Sun
Posted: 05/14/15, 4:49 PM PDT |

SAN BERNARDINO >> The proposed bankruptcy exit plan released to the public for the first time Thursday would pay 1 percent of the $50 million owed to pension obligation bondholders, slash retirees’ healthcare coverage, and contract out for services, including fire and waste disposal, among other changes.

Read the rest of this entry »

Hospitals and the oil industry topped payments for lobbying. Total reflects payments to in-house lobbyists and outside firms.

Capitol Alert
May 12, 2015
By Jim Miller
jmiller@sacbee.com

Local governments, businesses, unions and other special interests reported spending more than $48.5 million on direct state lobbying expenses from January through March, according to first-quarter reports filed earlier this month.

Read the rest of this entry »

Dan Walters
Observations on California and its politics
dwalters@sacbee.com
May 7, 2015

A political war over taxes that’s been brewing for nearly four decades finally erupted Thursday – maybe.

Read the rest of this entry »