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How State Budget Will Be Impacted by Coronavirus Coming More into Focus

A clearer picture formed this week about how the coronavirus will affect the state budget, with action in Sacramento and Washington. Director of Finance Keely Bosler sent a letter to lawmakers that the department will “reevaluate all budget changes within the context of a workload budget.” “While our first priority ...
Blog

What a Difference a State Makes: The Future of Charter Schools in California vs. Arizona

While Governor Gavin Newsom and the Democrat-supermajority in the Legislature effectively eliminated most charter-school expansion in California, the charter school landscape is much different in neighboring Arizona. When Governor Newsom signed the anti-charter-school-expansion bill into law last year, his office said that new charter schools will likely not open in ...
Blog

The Coronavirus Aftermath: Debt and Deficits as Far as the Eye Can See

All the Woulda-Coulda-Shouldas Layin’ in the sun, Talkin’ ’bout the things They woulda coulda shoulda done… –Shel Silverstein As of this writing, the Trump Administration has pledged to spend more than a trillion dollars to save the lives and livelihoods of Americans as a result of the coronavirus outbreak. We’re ...
Blog

What Governments Are Doing to Try and Salvage the Economy

Until recently, terms like social distancing and even the coronavirus were nonexistent. Now these terms could come to define the beginning of a pending global recession the likes of which have yet to test modern economic markets. As parts of California shelter in place and millions engage in the largest ...
Blog

What We’re Watching – Stay at Home Edition

Tim Anaya – Week to Week Political Roundtable on Coronavirus In case you missed it, last night I joined the Commonwealth Club’s Week to Week Political Roundtable. Due to the shelter in place orders in Sacramento and San Francisco – it was a livestreamed event and I joined the panel ...
Blog

Legislative Analyst Offers First Hint of Impact of Coronavirus on State Budget

The coronavirus and the massive economic shutdown that has accompanied it as large parts of California are sheltering in place is significantly complicating work on the May Revise of the Gov. Newsom’s budget, due in just weeks. California’s nonpartisan Legislative Analyst Gabriel Petek on Wednesday released his first assessment of ...
Blog

The Train That’s Still Going Nowhere

The Legislative Analyst’s Office recently issued its Review of the Draft 2020 High-Speed Rail Business Plan. It’s not a ringing endorsement of the project. Three of the report’s five key oversight issues confirm what’s been known all along. California’s bullet train is a troubled enterprise. First, says the LAO, “we ...
Blog

Torpedoing a Successful Charter School

While the statewide assault on charter schools by politicians in Sacramento has garnered headlines, it is the effort to undermine specific successful local charter schools that really pulls at one’s heartstrings. Take, for example, Willow Creek Academy charter school in Sausalito in Marin County.  Willow Creek is a K-8 school ...
Blog

Will State Budget Be Victim of Coronavirus?

The uncertainty over the coronavirus has negatively impacted the financial markets.  Hit the hardest in the short term have been the travel and hospitality industries – with much talk of layoffs, bankruptcies, and industry bailouts. The Dow Jones and Nasdaq have entered bear territory, falling more than 20 percent in ...
Blog

What We’re Watching – March 13

Tim Anaya – Making the Perfect Irish Soda Bread With all the talk of coronavirus frightening us these days, I think we should focus on things that bring a smile to our faces this weekend, like St. Patrick’s Day.  Even though the parades are cancelled, this doesn’t mean that corned ...
Blog

How State Budget Will Be Impacted by Coronavirus Coming More into Focus

A clearer picture formed this week about how the coronavirus will affect the state budget, with action in Sacramento and Washington. Director of Finance Keely Bosler sent a letter to lawmakers that the department will “reevaluate all budget changes within the context of a workload budget.” “While our first priority ...
Blog

What a Difference a State Makes: The Future of Charter Schools in California vs. Arizona

While Governor Gavin Newsom and the Democrat-supermajority in the Legislature effectively eliminated most charter-school expansion in California, the charter school landscape is much different in neighboring Arizona. When Governor Newsom signed the anti-charter-school-expansion bill into law last year, his office said that new charter schools will likely not open in ...
Blog

The Coronavirus Aftermath: Debt and Deficits as Far as the Eye Can See

All the Woulda-Coulda-Shouldas Layin’ in the sun, Talkin’ ’bout the things They woulda coulda shoulda done… –Shel Silverstein As of this writing, the Trump Administration has pledged to spend more than a trillion dollars to save the lives and livelihoods of Americans as a result of the coronavirus outbreak. We’re ...
Blog

What Governments Are Doing to Try and Salvage the Economy

Until recently, terms like social distancing and even the coronavirus were nonexistent. Now these terms could come to define the beginning of a pending global recession the likes of which have yet to test modern economic markets. As parts of California shelter in place and millions engage in the largest ...
Blog

What We’re Watching – Stay at Home Edition

Tim Anaya – Week to Week Political Roundtable on Coronavirus In case you missed it, last night I joined the Commonwealth Club’s Week to Week Political Roundtable. Due to the shelter in place orders in Sacramento and San Francisco – it was a livestreamed event and I joined the panel ...
Blog

Legislative Analyst Offers First Hint of Impact of Coronavirus on State Budget

The coronavirus and the massive economic shutdown that has accompanied it as large parts of California are sheltering in place is significantly complicating work on the May Revise of the Gov. Newsom’s budget, due in just weeks. California’s nonpartisan Legislative Analyst Gabriel Petek on Wednesday released his first assessment of ...
Blog

The Train That’s Still Going Nowhere

The Legislative Analyst’s Office recently issued its Review of the Draft 2020 High-Speed Rail Business Plan. It’s not a ringing endorsement of the project. Three of the report’s five key oversight issues confirm what’s been known all along. California’s bullet train is a troubled enterprise. First, says the LAO, “we ...
Blog

Torpedoing a Successful Charter School

While the statewide assault on charter schools by politicians in Sacramento has garnered headlines, it is the effort to undermine specific successful local charter schools that really pulls at one’s heartstrings. Take, for example, Willow Creek Academy charter school in Sausalito in Marin County.  Willow Creek is a K-8 school ...
Blog

Will State Budget Be Victim of Coronavirus?

The uncertainty over the coronavirus has negatively impacted the financial markets.  Hit the hardest in the short term have been the travel and hospitality industries – with much talk of layoffs, bankruptcies, and industry bailouts. The Dow Jones and Nasdaq have entered bear territory, falling more than 20 percent in ...
Blog

What We’re Watching – March 13

Tim Anaya – Making the Perfect Irish Soda Bread With all the talk of coronavirus frightening us these days, I think we should focus on things that bring a smile to our faces this weekend, like St. Patrick’s Day.  Even though the parades are cancelled, this doesn’t mean that corned ...
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