Most breathed a sigh of relief after BART and its workers reached agreement on a new contract and averted a strike. But now, second thoughts are emerging: Was there a $44 million glitch in the pact?
From the Mercury-News' Matthias Gafni: "A mysterious, and expensive, six-week paid family medical leave benefit "mistakenly" included in the tentative BART contract could be a deal breaker in the six-month contract impasse."
"Seven of the eight BART board directors attending a late closed session meeting Friday voted to send General Manager Grace Crunican back to the negotiating table to figure a way out of the mess that could cost the transit agency an estimated $44.2 million over four years in one of the costliest scenarios. That's in addition to the rest of the $67 million tentative agreement, which was widely panned for being too rich."
"Last year, 171 of the 2,301 Service Employees International Union Local 1021 and Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1555 workers took an average of 4.3 weeks off in family medical leave, using accrued sick and vacation time. If the same number of employees took the same amount of time off under the disputed new provision -- which provides six paid weeks off -- the transit agency estimates it would cost $5.8 million over the four-year contract."
Next year's ballot, which already has such big-ticket items as a multibillion-dollar water bond and a plan to give the insurance commissioner authority to regulate health insurers' rates, has more -- much more.
From the LAT's Marc Lifsher: "Regulating auto insurance has saved California consumers more than $100 billion since passage of Proposition 103 in 1988, according to the Consumer Federation of America."
"Consumer Watchdog also is part of a coalition gathering signatures for another measure that would raise the current $250,000 lid on jury awards for pain-and-suffering damages awarded in medical malpractice lawsuits, adjusting it for inflation to about $1 million."
"The Service Employees International Union has submitted two initiative proposals. One would prohibit hospitals from charging patients more than a 25% markup on the cost of services. A second would put a $450,000 limit on the annual pay of nonprofit hospital executives. According to the union, California's 10 highest paid nonprofit hospital executives received average annual salaries of $2.6 million."
California drivers pay more for fuel than anyone else in the country. How come?
From the Chronicle's David Baker: "Throughout this summer and fall, California's gasoline prices have hovered about 40 to 45 cents per gallon above the national average. The difference has sometimes reached 50 cents."
"In most years, it's more like 30 to 35 cents..."
In part, that's because California has the country's highest gasoline taxes. Drivers here currently pay about 72 cents per gallon when local, state and federal taxes are combined. At the other end of the spectrum, Alaska drivers pay about 31 cents per gallon in taxes, the lowest gas-tax burden of any state."
A decade ago, officials in fire-ravaged California took a close look at improving the state's ability to respond to wild fires. But the reccomendations have met an uneven fate.
From the Bee's Jim Miller: "Overall, fire officials say, the state is better prepared for the next big blaze. Yet more people than ever live in fire-prone parts of California, increasing the risk of accidental starts. The state continues to spend several hundred million dollars annually on fire protection. And global warming, experts say, will produce more frequent and larger fires."
“We’ve been making progress while at the same time recognizing the continuing challenges we’ve faced because of budget cuts and climate change,” said state Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson, D-Santa Barbara, who leads the Legislature’s joint committee on emergency management, a product of the blue-ribbon panel. “A lot of the problem, frankly, has been money,”
"Within months of the report’s April 2004 release, lawmakers of both parties voted for a bill creating new construction standards in places that burn. The regulations carrying out the law, which took effect in 2008, have been hailed as a national model."
And from our "Where Were You in '63?" file comes a tale of a reporter's recollection of John Kennedy's assassination. Everyone old enough to remember recalls exactly what they were doing 50 years ago when they first heared the news. One UPI newsie was in the state Capitol watching the teletypes.
"Three shots were fired at President Kennedy's motorcade today in downtown Dallas."
"Five bells for a bulletin. Ten for a very rare flash alerting editors and broadcasters to earth-shaking news. There were several flashes that day. One came soon after the initial bulletin."
"Kennedy seriously wounded perhaps fatally by assassin's bullet."
"It's striking how primitive communications were 50 years ago compared to today. And few of us can imagine what they'll be like in another half century."
"Hopefully people won't still be staring at their plate while a lunch companion rudely plays with his so-called smartphone. But that subject's for another time."
And more fun listening to a teletype than watching a Twitter account....
