Posts Tagged: budget

News

The growing cost of health care continues to vex state policymakers

Panel discussion about the impact of California's budget shortfall. L-R: Kristen Hwang, Calmatters; Jess Bartholow, SEIU California; Scott Graves, California Budget and Policy Center; Beth Capell, Health Access California; Michelle Cabrera, County Behavioral Health Directors Association of California. Photo by Joha Harrison, Capitol Weekly

In a sign of the times, Capitol Weekly’s annual health care conference on Thursday focused broadly on expenses and efficiency, befitting for an American health care system that has become one of the most expensive in the world.

Micheli Files

Some statistics from the 2023-24 legislative session

Longtime Capitol lobbyist and regular Capitol Weekly contributor Chris Micheli is a “self-professed legislative geek.” To that end, he has collected and is now sharing with us the following statistics from the recently-concluded 2023-24 California Legislative Session:

Micheli Files

Formal roles of Governor and Lt. Governor in lawmaking

Gov. Gavin Newsom & Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis

Both the California Governor and the Lieutenant Governor have formal roles in the lawmaking process, despite the fact that this authority is granted to the legislative branch of state government pursuant to Article IV of the California Constitution.

Opinion

AB 3190 will undo California’s progress on affordable housing

Image by welcomeinside

OPINION – When asked what issues Californians are most worried about, you will almost always hear about the cost of housing. That’s why such a broad and diverse group of housing advocates, developers, lenders, builders, housing management experts and non-profit organizations have joined together in opposition to AB 3190.

Opinion

Reflections on CA’s approach to budgeting after a decade of growth

Image by eyegelb

OPINION – The State of California General Fund budget more than doubled in size from $96.3 billion in fiscal year 2014 to $225.9 billion in fiscal year 2024 while the state population remained essentially flat. Do residents feel their state government services have doubled during this period? I doubt it.

News

The future of journalism? A lot of uncertainty.

Senator Steve Glazer. Photo by Joha Harrison, Capitol Weekly

Panelists at Capitol Weekly’s Covering California: The Future of Journalism in the Golden State conference on Thursday were blunt in their assessment of the news business these days – it’s not good, and it probably won’t get better anytime soon.

Opinion

State public works enforcement more than pays for itself

Image by mnbb

OPINION – Both the nation and state of California have committed to generational investments in transportation, energy, broadband and other types of public infrastructure. Reams of academic evidence tells us that when this happens, it is a boon both to the economy and to public budgets. But when it is done wrong, workers, taxpayers and businesses can all lose.

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