Was it EVER about the money?

Studies Show Furloughs Not Saving State

For every dollar in reduced spending from furloughs, the state saves approximately 37 cents for the General Fund for FY 09–10; this falls to 12 cents when losses in subsequent years are taken into account.

Getting any of those Fridays back next July? Don’t bank on it.

State Revenues Continue Sharp Drop Bigger Budget Deficit Feared For 2010-2011

State’s 3 Sources of Revenues All Dropped Below What Was Budgeted

The State’s three largest sources of revenue fell below estimates made in the revised 2009-2010 State Budget for the month of September.
When adjusted to account for payments made in September that were previously delayed or issued as Registered Warrants in July and August:
• Personal income taxes for the month were $934 million below estimates ( -17.3%).
• Corporate taxes were down $183 million (-10.5%)
• Sales taxes came in $99.8 million lower than expected (-4.5%).

Chiang said the recession continues to drag state revenues down, though he believed there are some signs to indicate of an eventual turn around in the state’s economy – though not anytime soon.

“Revenues more than $1 billion under estimates and recent adverse court rulings are dealing a major blow to a budget that is barely 10-weeks old,” said Controller Chiang. “While there are encouraging signs that California’s economy is preparing for a comeback, the recession continues to drag State revenues down. I urge lawmakers and the Governor to prepare for more difficult decisions ahead.”

Is that a soupline in your future?

Public Pensions In Deep Trouble”

The financial crisis has blown a hole in the rosy forecasts of pension funds that cover teachers, police officers and other government employees, casting into doubt as never before whether these public systems will be able to keep their promises to future generations of retirees.

Will California become America’s first failed state?

The Observer

Los Angeles, 2009: California may be the eighth largest economy in the world, but its state staff are being paid in IOUs, unemployment is at its highest in 70 years, and teachers are on hunger strike. So what has gone so catastrophically wrong?

Ze Littuhl Peepuhl, Zey don’t count for so much… Jah.

Calitics:: Moby Doing More To Stop Murder In California Than Arnold Schwarzenegger

Six shelters that temporarily house victims and their families have closed since Schwarzenegger used his line-item veto to eliminate their funding in July. Advocates say dozens more of the 94 agencies that received a total of $20.4 million in state money last year have scaled back services and cuts hours and staff.

“In the grand scheme of things, it’s not a lot of money,” Moby said about the cuts during a phone interview from Chicago. “But it’s going to directly harm the women who benefit from these programs.”

Moby, whose real name is Richard Melville Hall, said he hopes to generate $75,000 to $100,000 from dates in San Diego, Los Angeles and San Francisco from Oct. 12 through 15 to give to the California Partnership to End Domestic Violence.

“My mother was in a long relationship with a guy who was very, very abusive and at one point I had to stop him from stabbing her to death,” Moby said.

Flashback

Sunday is the 3rd anniversary of “Thank You State Workers Day”
Join me on Sunday in thanking our lucky stars for such leadership.
Oh, and: “We have always been at war with Oceania!”

How do ya like the white T-shirts?

Hundreds of L.A. County workers rally for contract support

Hundreds of L.A. County workers gathered outside the downtown county administration building this morning to rally support from leaders before their contract expires Wednesday.
They arrived in half a dozen charter buses, wearing T-shirts and toting signs from Service Employees International Union Local 721, which represents about 55,000 county workers.

“We’re not asking for a raise — they’re trying to maintain their benefits,” said union spokeswoman Elizabeth Brennan.

Workers’ chanting could be heard inside the building, where county supervisors were meeting this morning. Union officials expected at least 1,500 workers to attend the rally, including some who planned to address supervisors at the meeting.

Just Win, Baby!

CalPERS board seat: SEIU seeks three in a row

Hackett’s backers include the biggest state worker union, SEIU, Local 1000, representing about 70,000 state workers, and the California School Employees Association, the non-teaching school workers who are a third of CalPERS members.

Jelincic’s endorsements include two major retiree groups, California State Employees Association retirees and Retired Public Employees Association, and a number of smaller state unions representing firefighters, supervisors, scientists and engineers.

Speaking as a member of one of those ’smaller’ unions, I hope Cathy wins.

An Open Invitation to Maria Shriver.

Dear Maria,

I saw you on Meet the Press a few Sundays ago where you gave an interview regaling the legacies of your deceased uncle Ted and your mother, Eunice.  You seem so proud of them.  And you should be:  they were great Americans.  As I watched your interview, I got to thinking.  Girlfriend, we need to get together for some margaritas.  My treat.  (And that’s saying something on my furlough-depleted salary.)  You see, I really want to understand the whole Kennedy thing and how that jives with the whole being-married-to-anti-Christ-thing.  They say opposites attract, but really?!  People want to know.  I want to know.

Since there really is no better social lubricant than tequila, and since I don’t take you for a beer and shooters kind of girl, margaritas will have to do.  Now, all modesty aside, I think I make the best margies in town, but you can’t come here.  I don’t want your husband knowing where I live – no disrespect.  As an alternative, I proposed Tres Hermanas.  I think their margaritas are pretty good and it’s a Sacramento small business that is  undoubtedly suffering due to your husband’s furlough policy.

We will sit down and order a pitcher of their top shelf margaritas.  You see,  we are going to get very drunk.  I want you well into blotto-land when I finally get down to the reason for our sipping session.  Girl, what in the hell are you thinking?!  That whirring sound you hear is not the air conditioning unit at the restaurant – no, that sound is your mother turning at mach speed in her grave.  She was a champion for the disabled.  The very people your husband seeks to throw to the wolves with his Draconian economic policies.   Or, if you are more comfortable, that whirring sound could just as easily be Uncle Teddy – what, with your husband’s attempt to cut off thousands of California children from Healthy Families.

So, it must be interesting times at the Kennedy/Schwarzenegger residence, eh?  The way I see it, there are only a few plausible theories about what makes your marriage to the Governator work:  One, you are just hoping Termie pulls a Sanford and holes up with a hot little number in a Latin American country while he’s purportedly hiking the Pacific Crest Trail.  This scenario would allow you to bail out of the marriage with a little grace and virtually no tarnish to your Kennedy identity.  Another theory is that you are simply a K.I.N.O. – that is, a Kennedy in Name Only.  Say it isn’t so, Maria.  To be a KINO would kinda of put you in the same league as Michael Skakel, although instead of a being a felon, you would simply be a sell out.  The final theory is that I guess you, um, love him and are committed to your marriage regardless of how his values seemingly fly in the face of yours.  Or at least what you say yours are.

So which is it, Maria.  If it’s the first,  we’ll stand by you.  I’ll buy another round and and provide you with the liquid courage to call Anderson Cooper – he’s a little young for you, but let’s face it – you are a cougar, a MILF, even.  You could have Anderson Cooper just as soon as you could have a Diet Coke.  If though, you actually love the Termie, I’ll still pick up the tab.  Just tell me why, because, honestly, I just don’t get it.

If you can’t govern, then throw a tantrum

Governor threatens to veto all the bills on his desk

Legislative sources say the governor threatened to veto all of the bills on his desk – 73 in all – unless they were recalled by the legislative houses. By recalling the bills to the respective desks, the 12-day timeline will reset when the bills are sent back to the governor.