Once the fertile and prolific Ground Zero of the post-World War II baby boom, California now is headed in the opposite direction -- a baby bust.
From Matt O'Brien in the Contra Costa Times: "After decades of simultaneously worrying about and cashing in on its ever-growing population, the Golden State now awaits a new challenge: too few children and, eventually, too few skilled and able-bodied workers."
"Kids are no longer overrunning us. Now they're in short supply," said demographer Dowell Myers. "It changes the priorities for the state."
The number of California babies born each year began dropping steadily in 2007, according to state public health records, but the birthrate began slowing years before.
Changing behaviors and economic shifts are driving down the number of babies, but no one cause easily explains the trend, said state demographer Walter Schwarm."
Meanwhile, speaking of kids, California's dubious ranking in per-pupil education funding dropped again.
From John Fensterwald in EdSource: "California tumbled two more spots, to 49th in the nation in per-pupil spending, in Education Week’s latest annual Quality Counts report, released last week. The ranking covers spending in 2010 and thus doesn’t include the impact of higher taxes that voters approved in passing Proposition 30 in November."
"California’s per-student spending of $8,482 was $3,342 – 28 percent – below the national average of $11,824. Only Nevada ($8,419) and Utah ($7,042) spent less. Another Western state, Wyoming – $18,814 per student – led the nation in spending."
"The gap between California and the nation grew $344 per student in 2010, as California’s per-student spending dropped $185 from the year before as a result of a massive state budget deficit, while spending nationally grew $159. Last year, California ranked 47th out of 51; two years ago, before the impact of the recession, it was 43rd."
The deficit may be a thing of the past, but as Gov. Brown said in unveiling his proposed state budget,.the "wall of debt" remains. And it's a big wall.
From Evan Halper and Chris Megerian in the LAT: "Sacramento is legally obligated to pay many billions of dollars withheld from schools, local governments and healthcare providers as lawmakers struggled repeatedly to balance the books. It owes Wall Street more per resident than almost every other state. And it has accumulated a crushing load of debt for retiree pensions and healthcare, now totaling more than taxpayers spend each year on all state programs combined."
"The budget Brown proposed Thursday addresses only a small portion of the overall debt, which stems from the same types of bills that drove cities like Vallejo, Stockton and San Bernardino into bankruptcy. The state is likely to find its debt consuming an ever larger share of money meant for the basic needs of government."
"Every year we fail to acknowledge or fix these things, it just makes the cost bigger," said Joe Nation, a former Democratic assemblyman who teaches public policy at Stanford University."
Lobbying the Legislature and state government is a huge industry, but much of the money is spent secretly because of glitches in the law.
From the Bee's Laurel Rosenhall: "State law allows groups that hire lobbyists to report spending on scores of activities that are related to lobbying – but do not meet the legal definition of lobbying – as a single lump sum. In this category, listed as "other payments to influence" on disclosure forms, groups report how much they are spending, but not what they're spending it on."
"The "other" category can cover myriad expenditures, from the heating bill in a lobbyist's office to hiring former legislators not formally registered as lobbyists to pull strings inside the Capitol. Among them: former Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata, former Assembly Speakers Willie Brown and Fabian Núñez, and former Assemblymen Alberto Torrico, Jim Brulte and Rusty Areias."
"Some strike out on their own, while others attach themselves to existing lobbying firms, many of which offer a combination of services that don't require public disclosure including legal advice, political strategy and communications."
In the Assembly, a new personnel plan includes new positions and higher pay -- a move that's not likely to draw much support from the public.
From the Bee's Jim Sanders: " Calling it a staff retention plan, Assembly administrator Jon Waldie said the Rules Committee authorized two new positions and basically two step increases, with expanded duties, for existing office posts."
"Voter passage of an initiative allowing lawmakers to serve 12 years in one legislative house, rather than six, means that aides can find themselves at the same job within a lawmaker's office for many years, with no vacancy to be promoted into, Waldie said..."
"The Rules Committee approved the new classifications unanimously, Waldie said."