"The
flow of federal economic-recovery money into California is likely to total $50.7 billion, or even more, according to an analysis by a non-profit group that tracks government spending," reports John Howard for Capitol Weekly.
"The California Budget Project study seeks to identify specific amounts of money that
California is due to receive, including as much as
$15 billion dollars specifically aimed at easing the pain
of the state's budget deficit.
"The money is part of the $787 billion economic stimulus package that President Obama
signed to help states cope with the deepening recession.
"The impact of at least some of that money on the state's General Fund - the state's main coffer of business and personal income tax revenues
- is uncertain. But the dollar level is important, because
if $10 billion or more goes to the General Fund, a new round
of cuts and tax increases will be triggered. The impact
level is scheduled to be decided by the state treasurer
and the Schwarzenegger administration's top finance official. The two have scheduled a March
17 hearing.
"'With respect to the trigger, this is a decision that
will be made over the next three weeks,' said Jean Ross, executive director of the CBP. 'We believe there is plenty of room to creatively use
those federal funds. This is critically important.'"
The Press-Enterprises's Ben Goad and Jim Miller write that state tax hikes
will likely offset the stimulus effect of the federal
tax cuts.
"Under the federal Making Work Pay Tax Credit, workers
will receive $400 and couples will receive $800 for each of the next two tax years. The credit reflects
Obama's campaign promise to cut taxes for 95 percent of working families nationwide and is meant
to help spur the economy.
"Also beginning April 1, a 1 cent increase in the state sales tax will cost the
average Inland consumer an extra $140 a year or so, based on 2007 taxable retail sales data from the state Board of
Equalization. The boost is the first in a series of
temporary tax increases approved last month by California
lawmakers as part of a $40 billion package of budget solutions to deal with a
sharp drop in revenue.
"Several weeks
later, the state's vehicle license fee will almost double. Personal
income tax rates will include a new surcharge, and
the dependent credit
for families with children will drop by two-thirds."
Meanwhile, the Bee's Jim Sanders rerports:
"The California Legislature avoided deep cuts to its base funding in the new state
budget and stands to benefit by tens of millions of dollars
in future years if the economy rebounds.
"Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's proposal to require cuts of about 10 percent for the Assembly and Senate was shelved.
"Closed-door negotiations produced an alternative that relies
on voluntary rather than mandatory cuts to legislative
spending.
"The difference, seemingly innocuous, virtually guarantees
that the Assembly and Senate will have a multimillion-dollar windfall to spend on themselves if the economy
ever recovers.
"'They take care of themselves,' Ted Costa of People's Advocate, a watchdog group, said of lawmakers. 'They've been doing it for as long as I've been around – and certainly much longer.'
"Legislative leaders counter that they are neither ducking
Schwarzenegger's cost-cutting demand nor lowering its threshold."
"Assessors in Los Angeles, Riverside and San Bernardino
counties are forecasting the first drops in property tax collections
in more than a decade, presaging reduced revenues for many cash-strapped local governments," writes Alexandra Zaris in the Times.
Wait, who's the assessor in San Bernardino County?
"Until now, property tax revenues had been a relatively
stable source of money for cities amid a recession
that has dramatically reduced sales tax intake, particularly
from car dealers.
"Even with the decline in home values, the property
tax base in five Southland counties grew last year
thanks to continuing sales and the completion of construction
begun during the 2003-2006 building boom. But assessors in those counties said
they have reduced the value of more than half a million
properties and expect to make deeper cuts to their
rolls by the summer.
"This is bad news for local governments that have been
relying on property tax proceeds to help make up the
shortfall from reduced incomes and spending in their
areas. Already, cities and counties across California
have been freezing jobs, imposing work furloughs and
pay cuts, postponing repairs and reducing some public
services."
"Voters in California are sharply divided on same-sex marriage, and an amendment to overturn Prop. 8 would depend largely on campaigning and voter turnout,
according to a Field Poll to be released today," writes the Chron's Leslie Fulbright.
"The poll of 761 registered voters shows 48 percent in favor of a constitutional amendment to
allow same-sex marriages, with 47 percent opposing and 5 percent undecided.
"The California Supreme Court is currently considering
challenges to Prop. 8, the initiative passed by voters in November that
banned same-sex marriage. Proponents say that if the court doesn't side with them, they will work on a measure to overturn
the ban.
"Though views on same-sex marriage vary greatly according to age, geography,
political party and religious preference, the numbers
overall are almost equally split.
"'Opinions haven't changed much since November,' said Field Poll Director Mark DiCamillo of the election where 52 percent of voters approved Prop. 8. 'The closeness of the divide suggests it would depend
on the quality of the campaigning and voter turnout.'"
Dan Walters reads the poll and writes:
"It could be argued that gay rights groups had their
best shot in 2008 as they sought to defeat Proposition 8 and allow an earlier Supreme Court decision, validating
same-sex marriage, to stand. It was an extremely high-turnout presidential election in which Democrats dominated
from the White House down.
"It's likely that 2010's voter turnout will be millions of voters
smaller
and somewhat less liberal than the 2008 electorate, although it's not
certain yet whether a pro-gay marriage measure would be on the June
primary ballot,
whose turnout would be even lower, or on the November
general election ballot.
"If the Supreme Court were to uphold Proposition 8 and gay rights
groups were to seek a 2010 measure, only to lose again, their cause
could be
stalled for many years."
"A bevy of bipartisan California legislators vowed Monday to be better parents to the state's foster youth, pledging to extend their life-sustaining benefits through age 21 rather than casting them off as teenagers," reports Karen de Sa in the Merc News.
"Currently, most youth "aging out" of foster care are bounced off state support at 18, a tender age for a vulnerable population that often
has nowhere to go and no one to rely on. But an assembly
bill written by Speaker Karen Bass, D-Los Angeles, and Assemblyman Jim Beall, D-San Jose, would draw on newly available federal funds
to support relative caregivers and transitional living
programs through age 21.
"Former foster youth who gathered in the state Capitol
on Monday in support of the bill described their loneliness
and desperation as they entered the adult world with
no money, no job, nowhere to live and, in many cases,
no family or stable adults to rely on."
Matthew Yi looks at the attempts to recall Jim Silva and Jeff Miller.
"The Republicans are mad at Assemblymen Jeff Miller
of Corona
(Riverside County) and Jim Silva of Huntington Beach (Orange County)
because they wouldn't go along with the bouncing of Assembly GOP leader
Mike Villines of Clovis (Fresno County).
Villines survived the coup attempt. Over in the Senate,
GOP leader
Dave Cogdill of Modesto wasn't so lucky. He lost his leadership job
before the budget passed last month."
Hmm, we seems to remember something about Miller making
noises to take Villines out...
The OC Register's Lindse Baguio says the recalls are part of a larger, and growing revolt
against the budget, led by radio talk show hosts John
and Ken.
"They're revolting. Families with children, bikers, seniors,
pirates
- by the thousands descended on a Fullerton bar Saturday
to join talk
show hosts John Kobylt and Ken Chiampou of KFI in protesting
tax
increases recently approved in Sacramento.
Police estimated that some 8,000 people came to the Slidebar Café in downtown Fullerton to listen to The John &Ken Show.
"I expected a lot and it was way more than I expected," said co-host John Kobylt.
"The talk show hosts put forward an ambitious goal for
their Tax Revolt 2009 live broadcast that ran for more than three hours."
And finally, San Francisco may be cracking down on pillow fights.
"San Francisco officials said the mess left by this
year's massive Valentine's Day Pillow fight has led them to take another look
at the "flash mob" phenomenon.
"The pillow fight, which marked its fourth year in February,
involved
an estimated 1,500 to 3,000 people at Justin Herman Plaza and left the
city with thousands of dollars worth of damages and
cleanup costs, the
San Francisco Chronicle reported Monday.
"Lisa Seitz Gruwell of the San Francisco Recreation
and Park
Department said organizers of the event must begin
taking
responsibility for the event, "otherwise we are going to have to find a
way to shut it down."
"Mohammed Nuru, deputy director of the Department of
Public Works, said the city had to dispatch 69
employees and an extra street sweeper truck to clean
up after this
year's pillow fight.
'"It was quite a mess, much more than we have experienced
in previous years,' he said. 'Everywhere was feathers.'"
