Sacramento,
Ca -- Today, the Governor has planned a signing of a bill to suspend
the 2004 Proposition 1A in order to borrow close to $1.9 billion from
special districts, cities, and counties.
Proposition 1A was passed by voters in 2004 in order to severly hamper
the state governments ability to borrow money from their local
governments.
ABx4 14, the bill passed by both houses of the state legislature largely falling along party lines.
The legislture has set up a loan securitization mechanism in an attempt
to help local governments ability to recoup the loss in property tax
revenue. A joint powers authority (JPA) will issue notes backed by the
state's repayment obligation and use the proceeds to replace the
diverted property taxes of those local agencies that participate in the
JPA.
Local governments have been quick to point out that the state's very
poor bond rating, may make this securitization mechanism meaningless.
San
Diego County, Ca -- The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act will be
sending $1.77 billion in economic stimulus to San Diego County. By
law, that money needs to be spent and spent quickly.
A long list of projects have been slated included new school
cafeteria's, upgrading public transportation vehicles at the North
County Transit District, and money for scientific research on fish
populations.
Del
Mar, Ca -- For the 70th time, the crowds descending on the city of Del
Mar for Opening Day of the horse racing season. Long lines at the
gates and concession stands and heavy traffic along
both sides of interstate 5 did little to diminish the revelry as
gamblers and horse lovers rejoiced in a new racing season.
The Del Mar Thoroughbred Club broke its 1996 single day attendance
record by almost 700. The official attendance was 44,907 besting the
previous record of 44,181 set in 1996 when Dare and Go upset Cigar in
the Pacific Classic. The previous Opening Day record was set last year
at 43,459.
Much of the pre-race media coverage was devoted to the three year old
synthetic surface that was installed to limit horse injuries and
fatalities. In its first year of use, the Polytrack, reduced horse
fatalities from 26 the previous year to only 2. However, in the first
day of 2009 racing, a crash in the third race sent a jockey to the
hospital and caused the death of a horse.
Sacramento,
Ca -- Even though the Governor has canceled a evening legislative
budget session, the big 5 in Sacramento appear to be edging towards
agreement on the now $23B budget deficit. As new details on the deal
emerge, this budget will look to close the deficit completely.
It is now all but certain that Sacramento will take $5B from cities to
help balance the budget. The theft of local funds will hit municipal
services such as fire, police and local services below the belt. The
Governor's promise that "the road stops here" means after it runs over
local government.
The Governor and Republican
members of the Legislature have repeatedly promised "not to push the
problem down the road by borrowing." However, the budget deal includes
taking almost $5 million away from cities by borrowing $2 billion Prop
1A (passed in 2004 by 83% of voters), taking of $1.75 billion HUTA
(Highway Users Tax Account), and taking of $1 billion from RDA (Annual
Redevelopment Agency.)
By George Mullen -- The San Diego Chargers are in need of a new home. Coincidentally,
an out-of-town distressed real estate owner (the state of California)
is suddenly looking to sell the Del Mar Fairgrounds in order to raise
desperately needed cash.
A golden opportunity is before us. A marriage made in heaven, if you will.
Del
Mar, Ca -- Former Bilbray Chief of Staff and longtime San Diegan, Steve
Danon has announced his bid to challenge San Diego County Supervisor
Pam Slater-Price. Mr. Danon lives in Carmel Valley with his wife and
two children.
Mr. Danon has worked in San Diego politics for nearly twenty years as
an activist and a political consultant. His website highlights his
work to fight the closure of the UCSD Medical Center in Hillcrest and
his efforts to secure funds for the Teaching, Education and Research
Institute, a school for autistic children.
Defeating sitting supervisors has proved historically difficult and
particularly impossible since 1992. Since San Diego Supervisors were
given what critics call a "slush fund" of two million dollars annually
to spend on local community projects within their districts, no
incumbent Supervisor has lost an election. Supervisor Slater-Price was
elected to the position in 1992. She lives in Del Mar with her husband.
Sacramento,
Ca -- The long wait for a budget may be over. The Big 5 legislative
leaders have come to a terms on a budget deal and will be presenting
that deal to their respective caucuses today.
The Big 5 include the Governor, Assembly Speaker Karen Bass, Senate Pro
Tempore Darrell Steinberg, Assembly Minority Leader Sam Blakeslee, and
Senate Minority Leader Dennis Hollingsworth.
Details on the deal are still emerging and there is no guarantee that
each party will accept this new budget. The Governor and Republican
members of the Legislature have repeatedly promised "not to push the
problem down the road by borrowing." However, the budget deal includes
taking almost $5 million away from cities by borrowing $2 billion Prop
1A (passed in 2004 by 83% of voters), taking of $1.75 billion HUTA
(Highway Users Tax Account), and taking of $1 billion from RDA (Annual
Redevelopment Agency.)
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, otherwise known as
the "stimulus package" will infuse $787 billion into the U.S. economy.
$7.2 billion of this will be spent on expanding broadband access in
unserved and underserved areas throughout the country.
There
are two versions of the maps: "classified" versions accessible only to
approved providers and "unclassified" maps that are publicly available
and published online as .pdf files. The secret maps -- classified at
the insistence of incumbent providers who don't want the public or
potential competitors knowing exactly what they are providing (and more
importantly, not providing) and where -- purportedly reveal street
address level broadband availability organized by census block.
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Sacramento,
Ca -- Eight days of July and still no resolution to the state budget
crisis. Sacramento leaders appear to be on completely opposite ends of
a possible solution.
In the midst of this state chaos, local
cities and counties remain uneasy with their own economic outlook and
worried that the state may have its budget crosshairs squarely on them.
Current estimates to the state budget deficit range from $2
billion to as high as $7 billion. For this reason, the State
Controller will now be issuing IOU’s to state obligations that are paid
by resources from the general fund. Private businesses, taxpayers,
local governments and other will be receiving IOU’s.
Sacramento,
Ca -- Assemblyman Tony Mendoza and public employees unions have teamed
up to pass a bill designed to limit cities ability to file for
bankruptcy protection.
AB 155, which has passed the Assembly and moved on to the Senate,
mandates that cities must get prior approval from the California Debt
and Investment Advisory Commission before they are allowed to file with
the courts.
Many have criticized the bill citing its strong union backing
constitutes a power grab by powerful public employee unions designed to
give them the power to protect their lucrative contracts in tough
financial times.
The issue began when the City of Vallejo announced that it could no
longer afford the cost of its expenses and had to file for bankruptcy.
Much of the blame for the cities financial ruin fell in the lap of the
very lush public employees contracts, specifically for firefighters and
police officers.
San Diego, Ca -- More and more elected officials are turning to social
networking websites to communicate with their constituents. Mayor
Gavin Newsom of San Francisco and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger were
among the first to join the electronic elite.
However, we are no
longer just talking about higher office; tweeting, flickering, and
facebooking has invaded the communicative abilities of local city
officials in California.
The appeal of a constant medium between
voter and elected have driven several San Diego officials
to sign up for various accounts.
Mayor Jerry Sanders District 1 Councilmember Sherri Lightner District 2 Councilmember Kevin Faulconer District 3 Councilmember Todd Gloria District 4 Councilmember Tony Young District 5 Councilmember Carl DeMaio District 7 Councilmember Marti Emerald District 8 Councilmember Ben Hueso State Assemblyman Nathan Fletcher
Del Mar, Ca -- July 5th marked the final day of this year's San Diego
County Fair. American Idol headliners, cheaper tickets and food, and
exotic foods helped to make this fair the most attended in San Diego
history.
The fair organizers on their website claimed that 1,274,422 people
visited the fair this year breaking the previous record from 2007 by
nearly 8,500.
North
County -- The North County Transit District (NCTD) Board of Directors
today authorized Executive Director Matthew Tucker to issue a Request
for Proposals (RFP) for a private contractor to handle NCTD’s bus
operations and maintenance services.
Staff recommended the
action as a cost savings measure in order help resolve NCTD’s financial
situation, which projects annual deficits close to $19 million. The
State of California eliminated transit assistance for the next five
years resulting in a loss of $10.5 million annually to NCTD’s budget.
This, combined with declining sales tax revenues, translates into a
loss projected in the millions.
The Board considered three
options in reviewing NCTD’s bus operations: maintaining the existing
business model by reducing compensation costs, maintaining the existing
business model by reducing compensation costs combined with partial
outsourcing of NCTD’s services, or 100% outsourcing.
San
Diego, Ca -- Seeking to fill an empty spot on the California Coastal
Commission, Assembly Speaker Karen Bass (D-Los Angeles) is asking for
more nominations from San Diego County.
San Diego County gets two seats on the commission that oversees coastal development and other coastline issues.
The speaker initially had until Monday to fill the seat, but opted to
invite more nominations when only three were received. The three that
were received on time were from Councilman Ben Hueso, Councilwoman
Donna Frye, and Oceanside City Councilmember Esther Sanchez.
Please contact the speaker's office for more information.
Sacramento,
Ca -- On June 30, the 3rd District Court of Appeal in Sacramento
rejected the legislative diversion of transit funds.
For the
2007-08 state budget, the court found that more than $1.1 billion was
improperly appropriated for purposes not intended when the voters
approved Proposition 116 in 1990, and Propositions 42 and 1A.
Since the State is already in a cash crisis, it is not clear how the diverted funds could be restored.
The State will probably appeal the decision to the California Supreme Court which will further defer judgment day.
This all coming as California counties face $4.3 billion in cuts, deferrals, and IOUs
under current budget proposals due to the Legislature’s failure to
enact corrective measures by the June 30 deadline – a combination that
will push some counties to the fiscal brink and will hinder their
ability to provide vital services to residents.
San Diego, Ca -- The international trash and recycling firm Waste Management has
created a program aimed at helping local law enforcement spot crime.
The program, named "Waste Watch," uses former FBI agents to train its
drivers how to spot crime and report it to local law enforcement. WM
officials suggest that the thousands of drivers who enter local
California communities every day can have a dramatic impact by
increasing the number of eyes and ears for law enforcement.
The program began in New Mexico when Farmington Police officers asked
WM to keep an eye on anyone seen jumping into trash cans; hoping to
stop identity theft.
"Being on the safe side means checking out situations such as lights on
when no one should be home or a warehouse lit up at the wrong time," New Mexico District Director Dennis
Gallegos said. "The right information at the right time can halt or
prevent crime or personal injuries. Our drivers are there to report
such activities to the authorities."'
Oceanside, Ca -- NCTD staff will recommend at Thursday’s meeting that
the Board of Directors authorize Executive Director Matthew Tucker to
issue a Request for Proposals (RFP) for a private contractor to
undertake NCTD’s current bus operations and maintenance services.
The recommendation comes at a time when transit systems throughout the
country are struggling to maintain service levels amid significant
decreases in funding.
The State of California’s decision to eliminate State Transit
Assistance funding for at least the next five years, combined with
depressed sales tax revenues due to the severe downturn in the economy
has created an economic tsunami for NCTD resulting in future annual
deficits approaching $19 million.
In order to partially alleviate NCTD’s financial situation, staff is
recommending the board consider the complete outsourcing of bus
operations and maintenance as a significant cost savings measure.
Outsourcing these services would allow NCTD to maintain higher levels
of bus service due to the anticipated lower operating costs typically
associated with contracting.
Sacramento,
Ca -- On Thursday, June 25th, the League of California Cities' board
of directors announced a unanimous vote to take legal action if
California goes through with a plan to seize local gas tax revenue.
This is a reaction to the Budget Conference Committee's proposal to
take $1.7 billion of the local share of highway users, or gas, tax that
is use by local governments to maintain streets and roads.
Several state leaders, in an attempt to bypass voter imposed
restrictions, have proposed taking the funds to pay off state highway
bonds and reimburse the general fund.
To date, 130 individual cities have passed similar resolutions stating
the threat of legal action if the state maintains its current course.
A Sacramento Law firm, Nielsen, Merksamer, Parrinello, Mueller &
Naylor, LLP, has concluded that in both 1974 and 1998 voters approved
measures limiting the state's ability to use gas taxes for debt service
on bonds and to divert local gas taxes for the state general fund.
Sacramento,
Ca -- Today, the Governor has planned a signing of a bill to suspend
the 2004 Proposition 1A in order to borrow close to $1.9 billion from
special districts, cities, and counties.
San
Diego County, Ca -- The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act will be
sending $1.77 billion in economic stimulus to San Diego County. By
law, that money needs to be spent and spent quickly.
Del
Mar, Ca -- For the 70th time, the crowds descending on the city of Del
Mar for Opening Day of the horse racing season. Long lines at the
gates and concession stands and heavy traffic along
both sides of interstate 5 did little to diminish the revelry as
gamblers and horse lovers rejoiced in a new racing season.
Sacramento,
Ca -- Even though the Governor has canceled a evening legislative
budget session, the big 5 in Sacramento appear to be edging towards
agreement on the now $23B budget deficit. As new details on the deal
emerge, this budget will look to close the deficit completely.
By George Mullen -- The San Diego Chargers are in need of a new home. Coincidentally,
an out-of-town distressed real estate owner (the state of California)
is suddenly looking to sell the Del Mar Fairgrounds in order to raise
desperately needed cash.
Del
Mar, Ca -- Former Bilbray Chief of Staff and longtime San Diegan, Steve
Danon has announced his bid to challenge San Diego County Supervisor
Pam Slater-Price. Mr. Danon lives in Carmel Valley with his wife and
two children. 
Sacramento,
Ca -- The long wait for a budget may be over. The Big 5 legislative
leaders have come to a terms on a budget deal and will be presenting
that deal to their respective caucuses today. 
Sacramento,
Ca -- Eight days of July and still no resolution to the state budget
crisis. Sacramento leaders appear to be on completely opposite ends of
a possible solution. 
San Diego, Ca -- More and more elected officials are turning to social
networking websites to communicate with their constituents. Mayor
Gavin Newsom of San Francisco and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger were
among the first to join the electronic elite.
North
County -- The North County Transit District (NCTD) Board of Directors
today authorized Executive Director Matthew Tucker to issue a Request
for Proposals (RFP) for a private contractor to handle NCTD’s bus
operations and maintenance services. 
San
Diego, Ca -- Seeking to fill an empty spot on the California Coastal
Commission, Assembly Speaker Karen Bass (D-Los Angeles) is asking for
more nominations from San Diego County.
San Diego, Ca -- The international trash and recycling firm Waste Management has
created a program aimed at helping local law enforcement spot crime.