The Center for American Progress Action Fund has released a report which details the negative impact Meg Whitman's various economic proposals would have on the California economy as well as a letter signed by top economists including Robert Reich and Nobel Laureate Kenneth Arrow. read more

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California in Crisis News

California is facing unprecedented hard times due to rising costs of providing services, combined with the failure to generate appropriate revenues to provide these vital services. This section provides current news about how the state and local agencies AFSCME represents are attempting to address this crisis.

 

• California Budget Project reports. . . .No Free Lunch: Tax Cuts Widen Budget Gaps.
• California Budget Project Describes the Devastation of the Governor's May Revise
• See Why Deficit Reduction is Not “One-Size Fits All"
• How a Republican Accounting Trick Is Destroying Unions, Pensions, and Public Institutions
• Defined Contribution Plans Create Retirement Insecurity
  California Among Lowest in the Nation in Ratio of Government Employees
• Searching for Balance
•   The $100,000 Pension Club Grows in Number
• Public Employee Unions in Whitman’s Crosshairs: The Reason we Need to Fight to Elect a Governor That Supports Essential Service Providers

 

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On Friday, May 14, 2010, the Governor released his May Revision to the state budget. The May Revision contained devastating cuts to the human services programs, redirection of funding for local government, and no new revenue to support public sector work.

Below are links to the May Revision and analysis from the Assembly Budget Committee, Senate Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review, the Legislative Analyst’s Office, the California Budget Project, California Association of Counties, the League of California Cities, County Welfare Directors Association of California, and Association of California School Administrators.

• Governor’s May Revision 
• Assembly Budget Committee Analysis
• Senate Budget Committee Analysis  
• The Legislative Analyst’s Office
• California Budget Project
• California Association of Counties
• League of California Cities
• County Welfare Directors Association of California
• Association of California School Administrators 

The Legislature will begin reviewing the May Revision on Wednesday, May 19, 2010 and will conclude its review by the end of next week. Please notify your business agent if the May Revision creates a new hardship or continues an existing hardship for AFSCME members.

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The California Foundation for Fiscal Responsibility, the brainchild of termed-out Assemblyman Keith Richman, has abandoned its efforts to place a measure on the November 2010 ballot which would have called for drastic changes to public employee pension benefits. See their press statement:

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GOVERNMENT FOR SALE
As state and local agencies grapple with this unprecedented fiscal crisis, privatization of public sector jobs rears its ugly head once more. Traditionally, service sector jobs such as custodians and food service workers have been the target. Increasingly we are seeing contracting out proposals in other areas. Billing operations, hospital ancillary services, transportation, and PBX switchboard services are all areas that are among those vulnerable to privatization.  more

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