Gov. Jerry Brown, a Democrat who owed his election last November largely to the clout of organized labor, has vetoed a measure sought by labor to allow child care workers to unionize. The bill, which the governor said could prove too costly, had been pushed by Brown's fellow Democrats in the Legislature.
From the Chronicle's Wyatt Buchanan: "Assembly Speaker John Pérez, D-Los Angeles, who introduced the bill, said in a statement, "I'm disappointed that AB101 was vetoed. This bill would have given child care workers a voice in their workplace, and I will continue to fight to give them a seat at the table."
"The Service Employees International Union, a major backer of the measure, responded by releasing a statement from child care provider Tonia McMillian of Bellflower in Los Angeles County, that said, "We are profoundly devastated by today's news" and went on to add, "Child care providers - nearly 80,000 throughout California - desperately needed this legislation so that we could improve our lives and the lives of the families we serve."
"Similar bills were passed by the Legislature but vetoed by Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2008, 2007, 2006 and 2004. Critics had panned the measure by invoking images of grandparents and teenage babysitters forming unions."
One of the bills that Brown signed was aimed at tax cheats: If you don't pay your state taxes, the state will grab your car. In California's car-happy culture, where a man's car is his castle, this could prove to be a big deal.
From the Bee's Claudia Buck: "Under a bill signed Tuesday by Gov. Jerry Brown, the state's 1,000 most egregious tax debtors could have their driver's licenses yanked, unless they enter tax repayment plans with the state Franchise Tax Board or State Board of Equalization."
"Assembly Bill 1424 by state Assemblyman Henry Perea, D-Fresno, is an effort to recoup the estimated $6.5 billion in unpaid state income and business taxes owed to California."
"We'll send a request to DMV to let them know who's on the list and whose license can be revoked," said FTB spokesman Daniel Tahara. "Everyone has different motivating factors to get them to resolve their tax debt and this is just one of them."
When it comes to pay, the nurses at Sutter Health seem to be doing pretty well -- and so are the bosses.
From the Chronicle's Matier and Ross: "According to Sutter pay records, 20 nurses at Alta Bates Summit Medical Centers in Oakland and Berkeley pulled in between $200,000 and $291,000 last year, thanks in part to overtime - way above the $136,000 average pay for the centers' 1,800 nurses."
"What's more, of the highest-paid nurses, five received more than $100,000 apiece in stand-by pay - just to be on call..."
But if you want to see some really hefty paychecks, look at the ones going to Sutter Health execs. Records that the company filed with the Internal Revenue Service in 2009 show that 20 Sutter Health bosses were paid more than $1 million. Topping the list, at nearly $4 million, was company CEO Pat Fry."
State Attorney General Kamala Harris, a Democrats, says she pulled out of the national mortgage settlement negotiations because the proposed deal doesn't provide enough for California homeowners, who were among the nation's hardest hit.
From the San Bernardino Sun's Andrew Edwards: "This action is about a law enforcement action, with the goal of bringing the best and broadest relief we can bring," she said."
"California's attorney general first announced her decision to leave settlement talks on Friday. The negotiations have taken place for 11 months and have involved legal authorities from all 50 states and the federal government on one side, and large U.S. mortgage servicers on the other."
"A settlement could have resolved claims of faulty mortgage and foreclosure practices, including document fraud known as "robo-signing," in which mortgage servicers approved foreclosure documents without actually reading them."
Authorities say it's one of the meanest, nastiest debt-collection agencies around, and they could be right. Stephanie Hoops in the Ventura County Star has the story aboput a company that used parolees and repeatedly threatened debtors.
"The Star first reported the accusations of harassment three years ago when complaints against the collection company were mounting at the Better Business Bureau for Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo and Ventura counties."
"The business operated under a variety of names. In Ventura, they operated as Joseph, Steven & Associates and Specialized Debt Recovery."
"In my 15 years of experience in the Tri-County area, these were some of the nastiest, most aggressive business people we've dealt with," said BBB President Rick Copelan.
