Monthly Archives: January 2009

Podcast: External Pressures

January 30, 2009, 5:57 am • Posted by John Myers
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There didn't seem to be any big news this week on budget negotiations inside the hallways of the state Capitol, but there were a number of things outside those hallowed halls that made it feel like we're getting to some … Continue reading »

Filed under: Podcasts
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Worker Furloughs: Round 1 to Governor

January 29, 2009, 12:42 pm • Posted by John Myers
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Admitting that he fully knew the weight of his decision, a Sacramento judge said this morning that Governor Schwarzenegger has the authority to impose a two-day-a-month furlough on state employees, in hopes of saving California government some cash. Sacramento Superior … Continue reading »

Filed under: CA Budget
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In DC We Trust... Not Sacramento

January 28, 2009, 10:27 pm • Posted by John Myers
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Californians sure are caught up in this hope and change vibe in politics. But only when it applies to what's happening in the nation's capital, not the state capital. That's one of the conclusions to draw from tonight's new poll … Continue reading »

Filed under: CA Budget, CA Politics
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Shift Juvenile, Drug Offenders to Counties?

January 27, 2009, 9:53 am • Posted by John Myers
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There are some in government circles who think that times of great crisis actually provide the most opportunity for change. That's a familiar narrative in the nation's capital these days, and one that the Legislature's corps of budget analysts is … Continue reading »

Filed under: CA Budget, Prisons
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The Audacity of... Federal Help

January 26, 2009, 2:43 pm • Posted by John Myers
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Sacramento Loves Obama. For now, at least. Two bits of news trickling in from the nation's capital are creating a stir inside the fiscally drained statehouse as the week begins. First, today's headline that President Barack Obama is asking the … Continue reading »

Filed under: CA Budget, Environment
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Podcast: Stakeout

January 23, 2009, 6:30 am • Posted by John Myers
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Call this our first mobile edition of the Capital Notes Podcast. And it might be the last. This week, Capitol Weekly editor Anthony York and I chat up the week's small state budget news from inside the statehouse — more … Continue reading »

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Budget Talks Continue...

January 22, 2009, 5:42 pm • Posted by John Myers
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Governor Schwarzenegger and legislative leaders met for about three and a half hours this afternoon to discuss the state government budget mess. They emerged to call the talks productive. So productive, apparently, that they said little else. Yes, Franco fans; … Continue reading »

Filed under: CA Budget
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Audit: $26.7 Million "Improperly" Spent By Prison Receiver

January 22, 2009, 9:51 am • Posted by John Myers
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A new state audit concludes the original federally court appointed receiver overseeing health care in California prisons "improperly" approved $26.7 million in spending on information technology needs. State Auditor Elaine Howle's new report raps the knuckles of the receivership program … Continue reading »

Filed under: Prisons
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DC Optimism, Wall Street Pessimism

January 21, 2009, 3:06 pm • Posted by John Myers
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As the festivities wrap up back east and California's top officials wing their way westward, it seems that they bring with them some of that Obamoptimism, even as some new Wall Street angst arrives first. First, the angst. The credit … Continue reading »

Filed under: CA Budget
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In The Shadow of History

January 20, 2009, 1:38 pm • Posted by John Myers
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Well, you won't be surprised to learn things are quiet on this day in California's statehouse, with all the political oxygen sucked out towards the east and the inauguration of the 44th President of the United States. Many of California's … Continue reading »

Filed under: CA Politics
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