Legislation
Government by State Employees is Not Government by the People
June 16, 2010
K. Lloyd Billingsley, Pacific Research
Institute From
Susanville to San Diego, California cities are struggling
financially but now face more bad news. Assembly Bill 155, by Tony
Mendoza, Artesia Democrat, would prevent California cities from
filing for federal bankruptcy protection. The union-backed bill
would allow a union-friendly state agency, the California Debt and
Investment Advisory Commission, to deny any municipal bankruptcy
filing and keep intact all labor contracts. This measure invites a
look at the power of government employee unions…
Municipal bankruptcy bill slogs forward
June 01, 2010
Column: Dan Walters, The Orange County
Register To
appease unions looking to make it tougher for cities to go
bankrupt, the bill was laden with amendments that could still leave
cities exposed to creditors ... So far, just one California city,
Vallejo, has declared bankruptcy, but nearby Antioch is considering
it. If the recession persists and revenues continue to stagnate,
others may follow. That's why municipal employee unions are making
a big-time push for legislation that would make bankruptcy more
difficult. The unions' underlying motives are crystal clear. They
fear a bankruptcy judge might rule that a city's labor contracts,
or even pension obligations, could be abrogated. They want to make
municipal bankruptcy more difficult to discourage troubled local
governments from resorting to it…
Jon Coupal: What's really behind Prop. 14
May 28, 2010
Column: Jon Coupal, The Orange County
Register A
free-for-all primary system would result in higher taxes.
Promoters of Proposition 14
on the June ballot say they want an "open" primary. "Open" makes it
sound so inclusive, so liberating, so egalitarian – what could
possibly be wrong with that? If you pay taxes in
California,
the answer is: plenty! Prop. 14 is the result of collusion between
an ambitious politician, newly appointed Lt. Gov.
Abel
Maldonado, and
entrenched Sacramento
spending interests. A year
ago, then-Sen. Maldonado, a Republican,
sold his vote for the most massive tax increase in the history of
all 50 states, in return for an agreement to place a measure on the
ballot that would make it easier for him to run for statewide
office. That measure is Proposition 14…
Sanchez co-sponsors immigrant-education bill
May 26, 2010
Cindy Carcamo and Dena Burns, The Orange County
Register After
years of lobbying Rep. Loretta
Sanchez to
co-sponsor the Dream Act, proponents of the bill said Wednesday
that they are ecstatic that the Congresswoman has signed on.
Sanchez, D-Santa Ana, co-sponsored the bill Tuesday, according
congressional records. Sanchez declined to comment on her
co-sponsorship of the bill, which proposes allowing students who
are in the country illegally the chance to apply for legal
permanent residency, protect them from deportation and make them
eligible for student loans and federal work-study programs.
Opponents of the DREAM Act say it would reward illegal behavior.
Most local Congress
members are against the
bill, stating that it would encourage others to enter the country
illegally in an effort to get the same benefits for their
children…
Nursing board opposes student anti-seizure bill
May 19, 2010
Scott Martindale, The Orange County Register
The state nursing board
voted Wednesday to oppose a Senate bill that would give school
workers clear authority to administer an anti-seizure medication to
students in an emergency. The 7-1 vote by the state Board of
Registered Nursing was the culmination of more than an hour of
emotional, tear-filled testimony from local parents who support the
bill and the nursing union leaders who oppose it…
Making schools accountable
September 30, 2005
Editorial, The Orange County Register
The governor has signed
legislation that will help parents understand how schools spend
their money. Accountability and transparency of public school
finances advanced a step this week with a new bill signed into law
by the governor. It’s SB687 by state Sen. Joe Simitian, D-Palo
Alto. It requires that, beginning with the fall 2006-07 school
year, "estimated per pupil expenditures" and "an average of
salaries paid to" teachers at each public school and charter school
be tallied and reported...
A turf battle in Capistrano
September 23, 2001
Column: Steven Greenhut, The Orange County
Register Given
the choice between helping its students and pursuing a grudge match
against local Catholic school boosters, the Capistrano Unified
School District chose the grudge match. It's a shameful chapter in
an ongoing story that includes disparate elements - from
last-minute legislative deal-making to the likely use of eminent
domain to attempts to reform a school system burdened by excessive
red tape. Here goes…