The "alternative" budget proposed today by Assembly Democrats held few surprises… except for what seems like a pliable position on new taxes. Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez and Assembly Budget Chairman John Laird unveiled the Democratic budget at a local school … Continue reading »

"And we just disagree," goes the chorus from the old Dave Mason song. After reading the new poll from the Public Policy Institute of California, you could say that pretty much describes the state's citizens when it comes to how … Continue reading »

One of the more intriguing items inside Governor Schwarzenegger's revised budget seems to imply that the governor only supports restoration of Prop 42 funding if his package of transportation bills is passed by the Legislature. You can hear more on … Continue reading »

One of Governor Schwarzenegger's favorite media blitz strategies is to take to the airwaves of talk radio. And listening to those chit-chats, it becomes easy to see why the governor likes them– because he's rarely challenged on anything that he … Continue reading »

Governor Schwarzenegger has weighed in against one of the Indian tribes attempting to build a casino in the Bay Area, with his advisers arguing that the project would "offend" the state's public policy. The governor's office has released a letter … Continue reading »

The initial analysis of the governor's revised budget is out from Legislative Analyst Elizabeth Hill and her researchers. Headline: the revised budget's tendency toward spending one-time money on one-time costs is good. Digging a little deeper: *The LAO still thinks … Continue reading »

The initial analysis of the governor's revised budget is out from Legislative Analyst Elizabeth Hill and her researchers. Headline: the revised budget's tendency toward spending one-time money on one-time costs is good. Digging a little deeper: *The LAO still thinks … Continue reading »

What happens when backers of two government services– both strongly supported by voters– say they should get first dibs at an unexpected increase in revenues? Stay tuned this week… and next… for the answer. Governor Schwarzenegger weighed in on the … Continue reading »

It came as no surprise when legislation to place the issue of a gay marriage ban before the voters died this afternoon in the Assembly Judiciary Committee. But what was interesting was some of the debate over the bill– specifically, … Continue reading »

There wasn't a lot of surprise when the pro-Schwarzenegger group Citizens To Save California announced this morning that they had begun submitting signatures on their budget process initiative known as "Live Within Our Means." The committee says it will end … Continue reading »