Posts Tagged: finances

News

Stem cell agency officially files $5.5 billion ballot measure

Stem cells for treating cancer in microtubes. (Image: Science Photo, via Shutterstock)

Backers of the financially stressed California stem cell agency yesterday filed their proposed ballot measure to refinance the agency with $5.5 billion if voters approve it in November 2020. The complex, 30-page initiative  would also restructure a number of aspects of the agency and provide for financial assistance for patients and their families who might be involved in clinical trials.

News

CalSTRS’ finances reflect debt — and surplus

The photo gallery in the main entrance of CalSTRS' West Sacramento headquarters. (Photo: CalSTRS)

The main California State Teachers’ Retirement System pension fund is seriously underfunded, and school district pension costs are more than doubling, biting deep into classroom budgets. But the agency, called CalSTRS for short, has an inflation-protection fund with a growing $9.8 billion surplus and an eye-popping positive cash flow.

Opinion

Making kids a top budget priority

Elementary school students in a California classroom. ((Photo: Monkey Business Images)

A new analysis of the state budget from the nonpartisan Legislative Analysts Office identifies about $1.1 billion in new money available in the budget for discretionary spending. Gov. Jerry Brown and legislative leaders have an opportunity to make spending decisions that will prioritize children, many of whom took the brunt of budget cuts over the last decade.

News

A bumpy ride on the bullet train

California bullet train. (Illustration: High Speed Rail Authority)

The latest actions are far from conclusive but they may force delays in the project, which is scheduled to be completed by 2028 to link San Francisco and Los Angeles through the Central Valley. High-speed rail has long been popular in Europe and Asia, but earlier efforts in the U.S. to develop high-speed rail have failed in Wisconsin, Ohio and Florida. (Photo: High Speed Rail Authority).

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