[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Peter Scheer
Executive Director
California First Amendment Coalition

The city of Vallejo has taken the extraordinary step of filing for federal bankruptcy protection. While the financial distress of this San Francisco suburb (population 117,000) is especially acute, its fiscal problems are fundamentally the same as those facing many California cities and counties--and, indeed, the state itself.

To the familiar litany of causes--falling sales tax revenue, the home mortgage crisis leading to collapsing home prices and lower real estate taxes--there needs to be added one more: Too much government secrecy.

Vallejo is broke, and other cities and counties may be close behind, because their personnel costs--salary and benefits for current employees and retirees--are higher than they can afford. While decisions at the state level are partly to blame, ultimate responsibility for the mismatch of revenue and expenses rests with local elected officials who, meeting in secret, have managed to avoid public discussion of the true cost and fiscal impact of the pay deals that they have approved.

[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

We're not surprised to hear that the Club for Growth is pulling levers for favorite son Tom McClintock inhis carpet-bagging bid for California's Fourth Congressional District.The Sacramento Bee reports that the club's latest ad calls McClintockopponent Doug Ose, who spent three previous terms in Congress,a—gasp—liberal. We haven't heard that one before.

In an editorial endorsement, the Bee also gives the nod to Ose for the Republican nomination, and of the two, he is clearly the one we could live with, althoughDemocrat Charlie Brown would be a much better choice than either ofthem. Ose, despite his terrible record on taxes and the war, at leastunderstands the need to be practical.

Vallejo's unprecedented decision to declare bankruptcy would set a precedent for other municipalities looking to unload their responsibilities to public employee unions, theSan Francisco Chronicle reports. This is unfortunate. If a city doesn'tfeel it has the resources to commit to COLA or other increases, thatneeds to come up at the bargaining table, not in a Chapter 9 filing.

There's more... 

by atdleft [courtesy of Calitics - Front Page]

Last week, we got some good news regarding the pension fund for our state's teachers. In 2004, the long-term deficit was projected to be $24.2 billion. Today, the long-term deficit is projected to be $19.6 billion. It's not quite as good as we want it, but it's getting better.

So how did our favorite right-wing commentator who always misses the point respond? Oh, Chris Reed just looks for a way to tie this to "the public employee unions' master-puppet relationship with Democratic lawmakers". Huh?

Follow me after the flip for more...

by dday [courtesy of Calitics: Soapblox California - Front Page]

The State Legislature decided to run away from hard choices and add brick and mortar to simply delay our prison crisis without addressing root causes.

Legislative leaders brokered a deal Wednesday to add 53,000 beds to the state's prison and jail systems while increasing rehabilitation opportunities for inmates with added drug treatment, vocational and education programs.

The $7.4 billion agreement to help ease California's severe prison overcrowding contained no provisions for any early releases of inmates.

At the same time, it did not include any changes to the state's parole or sentencing systems. And it drew heavy criticism from the prison system's two largest public employee unions over a provision that would allow the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to transfer 8,000 inmates out of state in a program now on hold in the appellate courts.

The transferring 8,000 inmates part won't get through the courts.  And holding firm on sentencing and parole is lunacy, absolute lunacy.  It just means that we'll all be back here in 5 years.  Meanwhile construction money will be doled out and more nonviolent offenders will be locked up.  And the "increasing rehabilitation opportunities"?  Lip service.

over...