[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

Californians are concerned with protecting education by not increasing the size of classrooms, cutting the number of classes or laying off teachers. People recognize education is vital but while we need to protect education we can’t do it on the backs of people in need of vital services like health care. The reality is we need to use a balanced budget approach. We need both cuts and new revenues to make this budget work. Voters want fiscal responsibility, not smoke and mirrors.

Parents, teachers, students and all Callifornians need to be part of the budget process because so much is at stake with the education of our children. Please watch this YouTube and get involved.

by Kevin Shaw [courtesy of Blog for America]

The Pennsylvania School Board Assocoation asks that you please call your PA Reps!

Statewide health care and temporary development moratorium bills to be
considered

Your calls to House members are needed immediately!

(Click Read More for the rest of this post)

by Robert in Monterey [courtesy of Calitics - Front Page]

by Brian Leubitz [courtesy of Calitics - Front Page]

It seems SEIU's resolve on health care is rapidly crumbling. After months of towing the It's OUR Healthcare line, of supporting AB 8, and then tentatively supporting ABx1 1, it seems Sal Rosselli wasn't getting results at the pace that Andy Stern wanted them. 

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

Special Session Needed as This Affects All Other Issues the State Faces

By Frank D. Russo

There are a number of signs that 2008 in California may be the "year of the subprime mortgage crisis", as this issue is at least the equal of health care, water, education, or the budget. It is certainly a large part of the budget problems the state faces and is not just between those have been suckered into bad loans or a matter between individual borrowers and lenders. If action is not taken, we will all suffer--and those other dreams that we have as a state will be put aside and we will all suffer. This affects Wall Street and Main Street.

Just as Franklin Delano Roosevelt saved capitalism from the excesses of the 1920's and the Great Depression--this is today's challenge. Action is needed on the federal level, in the states, and even locally as was discussed in Oakland where an urgent call for state legislation was made a month ago.

by Julia Rosen [courtesy of Working Californians blogs]

Of course it is scheduled the same day as the Republicans are scheduled to be down in San Diego, but Assembly Speaker Nunez insists that they are running up against a deadline. SacBee:

But despite the GOP lawmakers’ plans to be hundreds of miles away, Nunez’s office says the speaker won’t reschedule the vote.

“The dates are driven by the secretary of state’s deadline for putting a measure on the November 2008 ballot,” said Steve Maviglio, a spokesman for Núñez. “We don’t have much of a choice. Deadlines are deadlines.”

Assembly GOP leader Mike Villines says he has spoken with Núñez, who told Villines he would “try to accommodate” but didn’t promise to push back session from Dec. 5, when both the Senate and Assembly GOP caucus will be in San Diego.

This does not mean that there is a deal. That would need to be agreed to before a vote can take place. With the dearth of information coming out about any movement on the legislation itself this qualifies as news, small it may be.