As part of his campaign pledge to "make government more efficient and effective," Gov.-elect Jerry Brown has promised to do away with the secretary of education position, a fixture in governors' cabinets since the early 1990s.
Blog:
Blog:
During the last six months, Governor-Elect and former Governor Jerry Brown pledged to voters and taxpayers throughout California that he had both the experience and the courage to lead California out of its economic malaise and financial doldrums. The voters endorsed his candidacy because they believe that California’s economy and budget deficit are fixable. His combination of experience and courage gave them hope. Now is the time for Governor-Elect Brown to build on that support and take immediate action.
Blog:
Blog:
Governor-elect Jerry Brown’s goal of reforming and restructuring California will surely follow the well-worn path of tax reform. Brown’s two immediate predecessors, Gray Davis and Arnold Schwarzenegger, both called together state commissions to study restructuring the state tax system.
Blog:
Blog:
The day after he was elected for another stint as governor of California, Jerry Brown declared, "If you want frugality, I'm your man."
His bargain-basement campaign proved it. And as reporters sat on wooden benches at his austere campaign offices in Oakland, Brown said he'll sift through the deficit-plagued state budget for ways to save money before even thinking about raising taxes. "Get ready for hard surfaces and wooden benches," he said.
Op-Ed:
Op-Ed:
Fix the DMV. That’s my advice to Gov.-elect Jerry Brown. Why start with the Department of Motor Vehicles, when there is so much wrong in state government, so many problems, up to and including another massive budget deficit? Because nothing could do more to instill confidence in government among Californians, starting with teenagers who are still too young to vote.
Blog:
Blog:
As part of his campaign pledge to "make government more efficient and effective," Gov.-elect Jerry Brown has promised to do away with the secretary of education position, a fixture in governors' cabinets since the early 1990s.
Blog:
Blog:
"I think that the first reason is probably [that] I couldn't understand their accents. I just didn't understand what they were saying."
California Governator Arnold Schwarzenegger joking Monday night with Jay Leno, host of NBC's Tonight Show with Jay Leno, about why he didn't endorse Meg Whitman or Jerry Brown for governor of California.
Blog:
Blog:
Barack Obama got change he hadn't hoped for in the midterm elections. Republicans swept to power in the House of Representatives, slashed the Democratic majority in the Senate and made significant gains in state capitals. Here are ten of this year's biggest winners — and losers — among American elected officials...
Blog:
Blog:
Legislative Democrats say it will be a lot easier negotiating a state budget now that a Democratic governor is taking office. We hope that's merely wishful thinking by the majority party or the financial headache that Democrat Jerry Brown is inheriting will be even bigger than the budget problem that's being left by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Op-Ed:
Op-Ed:
Granted, Jerry Brown is crazy. But in this screwball state, he might be crazy in a good way. Who knows what Governor Brown will do? I don't. I doubt Jerry knows either. But, oddly enough, I predict that, from a fiscal conservative viewpoint, he'll be far better than any of us imagined.
Blog:
Blog:
Welcome back to Sacramento, Gov.-elect Jerry Brown. You already know your way around the buildings, so we'll skip the tour.
Op-Ed:
Op-Ed:
Despite teasing on Twitter that he had a "major announcement" to make, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger declined again tonight to say how he voted in last week's gubernatorial election.
Nor was any other major announcement forthcoming.
Blog:
Blog:
With the gubernatorial campaign in the books, both the victor, Jerry Brown, and the loser, Meg Whitman, are thanking their supporters on YouTube.
Blog:
Blog:
The governor-elect didn't listen before. We're giving him another chance. Advice is cheap, and mine is even free. Here are three suggestions for the governor-elect. Not that he'll listen...
News:
News:
Much has been made – and rightly so – of the massive state employee pension giveaway that the Legislature and then-Gov. Gray Davis enacted 11 years ago. Politicians of both parties justified the immense boost in pensions, one largely emulated by local governments, with a statement from the union-controlled California Public Employees' Retirement System that the trust fund could easily absorb the cost.
Op-Ed:
Op-Ed:
Michael Kirst, who co-authored Gov.-elect Jerry Brown’s education plan, had this reaction on reading the two dozen commentators’ worth of advice that ran on this page over two days last week...
Blog:
Blog:
In his education plan, Governor-elect Jerry Brown acknowledged the problem of rapidly increasing fees at California's four-year universities. "When I was governor, the price students paid for a higher education was a fraction of what it is today," he noted. So what can kind of fees might California State and University of California students expect to see now that Brown is back for round two?
Blog:
Blog:
Every election finds the gap between the winner and loser widening at an exponential rate after the results come in; winners become leaders-in-waiting, losers find themselves knee deep in the muck of criticism and post-game analysis. So no one should be surprised how fast the worlds of Jerry Brown and Meg Whitman are moving in opposite directions.
Blog:
Blog:
The election is over, and yes, California has a new governor--well, actually a previous governor back for another turn. Jerry Brown will return to the state's highest office but in a radically different political setting. Term limits, federal mandates, and tough requirements for raising taxes have created a political environment that makes it almost impossible for any governor to govern, yet that is what Brown must do.
Blog:
Blog:
In passing Proposition 25, which allows the Legislature to pass a budget with a simple majority vote, the people made it easier for Sacramento to pass a budget. But in approving Proposition 22, which prohibits using funds dedicated to local services to close the state's budget hole, voters made it much harder. Ditto Proposition 26, which creates a two-thirds vote threshold to increase fees.
Op-Ed:
Op-Ed:
