As Brown launches a road trip in a quest for public support, some of his most ardent supporters are wondering if he’ll sell his budget plans by moving to the right – too far to the right.
The issue arises after the Democratic governor proposed changes in the public pension system, including many that have been demanded by Republicans or already contained in GOP-authored legislation. Some were presented as ideas, worded vaguely and signaling a starting point for negotiations.
In what could become a turning point in Gov. Jerry Brown's effort to close California's $26.6 billion deficit, a group of Republican state senators may support the Democratic governor's plan to ask voters for extended tax increases, in exchange for concessions, people familiar with the matter said. [Read More...]
Americans strongly oppose efforts to strip unionized government workers of their rights to collectively bargain, even as they want public employees to contribute more money to their retirement and health-care benefits, the latest Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll shows. [Read More...]
On the 99th night of the fiscal year, California lawmakers were still debating late Thursday whether to pass a budget, already the latest spending plan in state history.
The Schwarzenegger administration and Service Employees International Union Local 1000 have just announced a tentative labor agreement that includes higher employee contributions to their retirement plans and rolls back pension formulas for new hires to pre-1999 levels.