Budget Reform

Criticism of new school funding law misses the mark
 150 150 Matthew Grant Anson
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Like all things that sound hunky dory, the law has drawn increasing caution, concern, and criticism, highlighted last week by a piece by EdSource’s Louis Freedberg on the potential weaknesses in the new school funding law. But some parts of his argument lack clarity in a manner that merits a response.

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126 local governments called out by state controller for not filing financial books
 150 150 Cheryl Getuiza
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Apparently some lessons are only learned the hard way as Bell and Stockton both showed up on a less-than-illustrious list recently.

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A conversation on LCFF with Teri Burns of the California School Board Association
 150 150 Matthew Grant Anson
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Teri updates California Forward on the progress of the implementation of the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF), the new way of funding California’s schools by allowing for more control by districts over how they spend their funds.

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How do we pay for upgrades to our water system?
 150 150 Stan Hazelroth
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We have a serious backlog in funding needed infrastructure projects in California—many of which, the state’s water infrastructure, in particular, are paid for with user fees.

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California Legislature notches a winning season
 150 150 Jim Mayer
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From CA Fwd’s perspective – nonpartisan, good governance – 2013 was a winning season, not a championship year, but steady progress.

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VIDEO: One on One with Los Angeles City Controller Ron Galperin
 150 150 Cheryl Getuiza
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At least one person, in city hall, vows to make some changes that will allow local government to work more efficiently while bringing the data closer to its residents.

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Could the path to fiscal prudence come through transparency?
 150 150 Matthew Grant Anson
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Despite deserved good press for getting the bill signed on time, the transparency parade was unable to avoid rain via the governor’s blue pencil.

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Who should pay for California’s elections?
 150 150 Matthew Grant Anson
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The money that counties are missing out on is far from chump change. The state hasn’t allocated funds to counties to keep up with their mandates since 2009, when they paid $30 million total to 58 counties.

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California Legislature reverses itself on altering California Public Records Act
 150 150 Matthew Grant Anson
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“To be clear, this means that the California Public Records Act will remain intact without any changes as part of the budget – consistent with the Assembly’s original action.”

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