State pensions were 65% funded, and that was about an year ago. The number goes up and down as the general economy and stock market ebbs and flows. However, as for the annual budgeted cost of pension liabilities, it’s manageable at least for the state govt. It’s different for some of the cities and counties, but most of them did pass pension reforms during the recession, so the situation should improve.
As for the state funding of K-12 and community colleges, I see a huge amount of improvement at least in Bay Area. Just in the six years, that my kid recently finished at the local elementary school, the change at the school has been enormous, with new classrooms being built, STEAM labs etc, although to be fair, part of this was due to another measure we passed at the school district level.
As for rainy funds, I think CA has been putting aside $3-4 billion every budget cycle for past few years. It’s one of the key features of the state budget.
Or you could move to a swing state…
Or Montana. God, I would love to see a few thousand people move to Montana. The population is less than 1 million. And your vote will count so much more than everyone else’s!
I saw this weekend where the budget will clear $200b this year for the first time ever. It wasn’t too long ago (10 years maybe?) that it was in the $120b range. Imagine the feds increasing their budget at that rate.
Until the next economic downturn and much like 10 years ago that budget shrinks by 30-40%.
Government shouldn’t feel the need to spend every dime it can tax out of it’s citizens. Because if that is the truth we are working from then there would truly be no end to it.
California voters demonstrated anew last week that the state has developed a special brand of democratic epistemology – mas o menos liberalism — that has been shaped by Propositions 13 and 187; Ronald Reagan and Edmund Browns Sr. and Jr.; the Santa Barbara oil spill; Cesar Chavez and the United Farm Workers; the Free Speech Movement and Watts riot, not to mention the institution of Dianne Feinstein.
Voters most of the time will cluster somewhere around the candidates who seem to fit the sensible, moderate-left world view that comprises the overlap or union, of California’s political Venn diagram: pro-choice, environment friendly, fiscally responsible, anti-authoritarian, racially and religiously tolerant, committed to science and faith.
One thing about the “state” budget in California: the “general budget” is only a part of overall state spending, with many billions allocated by what are called “categorical” spending laws outside the general budget, and also by propositions that force the government to dedicate certain spending to certain things. On top of that there’s a whole weird set up of the state and local entities swapping taxes and spending back and forth: a portion of property taxes get sent to the state to then be spent on a per child basis for education, but at the same time, some state money is sent down to the local level to be operationally managed by the local entities. Our budget is a weird composite of general and dedicated spending, plus a crazy quilt of city, county and local levels.
It is my understanding that one thing Jerry Brown has done is consolidate more of the spending into the general budget, which is good IMO b/c it makes it easier for citizens to actually see the spending and it also makes it easier for the legislature to manage overall spending.
It’s my understanding that overall public spending in CA combining state, city, county and local levels has not actually exceeded the rate of inflation and population growth during Brown’s tenure, but that more of that money has been consolidated into the general budget.
As an example, the last time I looked at the state budget around 9 to 10 years ago, the state general budget was about $110 Billion, but the combined categorical, city, county, and local spending was another $110 or so billion. In other words, our aggregate spending 9 to 10 years ago was around $220 Billion. I am curious as to what the aggregate is now. Based on inflation and population growth I would expect an aggregate in the $275-ish Billion range.
I doubt it. But you never know. The guy behind it is the same guy who tried splitting the state into 7 different entities a couple of years ago. That went nowhere.
Hoping the Data Privacy initiative goes on the ballot however.
The bill is sponsored by advocacy group Common Sense and supported by privacy activist Alastair Mactaggart who launched the California Consumer Privacy Act ballot initiative, which qualified for the November ballot this week.
Mactaggart, a San Francisco real estate developer who has spent $1.65 million on the campaign, said that he would withdraw the ballot measure if the Legislature passes the proposed bill and Gov. Jerry Brown signs it by June 28 — the last date for the ballot measure to be pulled from the ballot. Backers plan a 3 p.m. announcement.
The bill mirrors three core components of the ballot initiative. It would guarantee consumers the right to know what data is being collected from them, as well as the right to opt out of that data collection. It also would hold companies liable for data breaches.
Industry leaders, including the Silicon Valley Leadership Group, which represents major technology firms, opposed the ballot measure, arguing it went too far and was approved without industry input. Facebook was initially opposed the initiative, but dropped its opposition in April.
Peter Leroe-Muñoz, the leadership group’s vice president of technology and innovation, said last week that data privacy and security “is a complex issue requiring continued conversation.” The group has taken no position on the bill.
The bill differs from the initiative in the way that companies would be held accountable for breaches to address an industry concern. The ballot measure exposed companies to litigation regardless of the state attorney general’s action. The bill would allow the attorney general to levy fines for data breaches, after which consumers could then sue over them. The bill would delay implementation until 2020, while the initiative would give the industry six months to comply.
The bill also adds provisions that go beyond the ballot measure, like requiring parental consent for companies to sell data on children younger than 16. And it would include provisions of Europe’s privacy laws such as consumers’ right to compel companies to delete all their private data.
It took me longer than I wanted, but I am officially moving back to the Bay Area in January for a new job. If any one works or commutes down to Mountain View I’d love recommendations on good places to live.
What are your considerations for what makes for a good place to live? There’s lots of great options. Budget is, of course, going to be the biggest limiting factor, but I’m sure you know that already. :)
It’s just me, so a largish 1 bedroom or small 2 bedroom apartment would be fine. It’d be great if it were walking distance to some sort of downtowy shopping/eating places but not required. I just don’t know anything about that area, I never really went down there much. I’ve been in Redwood City for lunch a couple times and it seemed nice.
