For Republicans, changing the public-employee pension system is emerging as a top-priority in budget negotiations. They might want to
look at Gov. Brown's proposals, which included many of the reforms adopted in other
states over the past few years, reports Ed Mendel in CalPensions.
"Brown proposed four of the five key reforms that a
Pew Center on the States study issued last year, “The Trillion Dollar Gap: Underfunded State Retirement Systems and the Roads
to Reform,” said seem “largely politically feasible.”
"The four reforms in both the Pew report and the Brown proposal: owering benefits and increasing retirement age, increasing
employee contributions, keeping up with funding requirements,
and improved governance and investment oversight."
Speaking of Brown and Republicans, the governor is going to address a private GOP legislative
retreat next next week at the offices of the California Farm Bureau.
From Steve Harmon in the Contra Costa Times: "Brown won’t be privy to the secret sessions, but
continues to make himself available to Republicans.
After his State of the State address, Brown and his
wife
Anne Gust dropped in on the California Republican Party’s “Back to Session”
shindig at the fancy Ella Restaurant, chatting with
Conway, among others."
"He’s already appeared at GOP caucus breakfasts and
luncheons, and met with a number of lawmakers privately
in his office."
In the Bay Area, the popular CalTrain lines, which
take commuters from the Peninsula into The City and
back, faces cuts that could shutter up to half their stations. The Mercury News' Mike Rosenberg and Gary Richards have the story.
"Caltrain officials on Thursday proposed closing up
to 16
stations in Santa Clara and San Mateo counties -- turning half the rail line's
stops into ghost depots, stranding thousands of riders,
and leaving several
huge shopping and housing centers without their prized
train stops next door."
"The plans, unveiled at a Caltrain board meeting, come
in
addition to a fare hike and deep cuts first revealed
last year, including
eliminating all but weekday rush-hour service between San Francisco and San
Jose."
The flap over inmates' access to cell phones continues,
with the disclosure that thousands of cell phones make
their way into prison cells and many of them may be smuggled in by guards -- who don't have to go through metal detectors.
From the LAT's Jack Dolan: "Prison employees, roughly
half of whom are unionized guards, are the main source
of smuggled phones that
inmates use to run drugs and other crimes, according
to legislative analysts
who examined the problem last year. Unlike visitors,
staff can enter the
facilities without passing through metal detectors."
"While union officials' stated position is that
they do not necessarily oppose searches, they cite
a work requirement that
corrections officers be paid for "walk time" — the minutes it takes
them to get from the front gate to their posts behind
prison walls."
A Sacramento lobbyist who runs a one-man shop was fined $30,000 by the state's political watchdog for failing to report
some $840,000 in payments he received from clients, reports Jim
Sanders in the Sacramento Bee.
"Frank J. Molina, a former Assembly chief of staff,
has
agreed to pay the fine as a stipulated settlement,
according to the Fair
Political Practices Commission. It's scheduled to consider
the matter Feb. 10. Molina could not be reached for comment Thursday through
his firm, Strategic Solutions Advisors. He left the
Capitol in January 2007 to
become owner of the lobbying firm, the FPPC said."
"Molina failed to report $840,000 in lobbying activities
from 2007 through 2009 for clients that included the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, the Soboba Band of Luiseño Indians, the Santa
Ynez Band of Chumash Indians, the Tule River Indian
Tribe and Deloitte
Consulting LLP, the FPPC said."
And now, from our "Don't Be Afraid to Say What You Mean" file, comes the tale of the New Zealand politician
who calls his detractors "dick heads." This might work
in Sacramento.
"Hone Harawira doesn't seem to be in a mood to reconcile
his differences with the Maori Party, saying today
"dickheads" within
it were trying to get rid of him."
"It looks like these dickheads only have expulsion
on their mind, if that's their plan then we may need
to refocus," he said
on his Facebook page. Questioned on One News, he refused to say who his
remark was directed at but denied he was referring
to his fellow MPs."
"People should read it for what it's worth," he
said.
He should have tried "girly men...."
