CalPERS is owed money by San Bernardino, but apparently doesn;t have the ability to get the dough. This story could have legs if other strapped communities follow San Berdoo's lead.
From Capensions' Ed Mendel: "Bankrupt San Bernardino skipped its payments to CalPERS this fiscal year, an unpaid bill totaling more than $13 million, and exposed a weakness in the pension system’s legal power to collect from deadbeats."
"Current law authorizes CalPERS to place a lien on the assets of government agencies only if they terminate their contract and leave the system, a legal step intended to get enough money to cover the debt or “unfunded liability” for promised pensions."
"In April, the CalPERS board approved a staff proposal to sponsor legislation that would “provide CalPERS with a present lien on all assets of a contracting public agency in the amount of all obligations owed to the system.”
The U.S. Supreme Court is poised to rule on same-sex marriage, attention is focused on a key player behind the scenes.
From the LAT's Timothy Phelps: "With the Supreme Court poised to render a ruling this week that is widely expected to strike a blow against Proposition 8 and perhaps overturn it outright, Chad Griffin, the onetime Los Angeles political consultant and public relations man who dared to bring the lawsuit, has become a major player in Washington, regarded with grudging respect by his former adversaries and hailed as a visionary by his friends."
"No matter what happens in the decision, Chad will be known as a historic figure in the fight for equality because he pushed the envelope," said Dan Pfeiffer, senior advisor to President Obama and a former Georgetown University roommate of Griffin's."
"The legal and political people thought Chad was moving too fast, but actually he saw where the country was going and what was possible before anyone else."
As the real estate market heats up, there's a rush for desireable properties, but some savvy buyers are avoding the bidding wars.
From the LAT's Alejandro Lazo: "So agents like Mathys are resorting to reconnaissance and back-channel networks to find homes that haven't yet hit the market. They're cold-calling homeowners with offers and targeting specific neighborhoods with direct mail. Some come bearing bizarre gifts in return for a listing. One agent offered a seller the use of his exotic car; one of his clients offered free dogs."
"And they're chasing so-called pocket listings, homes privately marketed among those in the know. The low-profile nature of the listings makes them hard to quantify. But agents and other real estate experts say they've become common in the booming Southland market, where the median home price shot up nearly 25% in the last year."
"Mathys — a 10-year veteran who, with his partner Tracie Kersten, specializes in high-end San Diego properties — said he'd never before seen the market this tight or felt the need to get this creative."
Despite a state Supreme Court action earlier this year, some education experts believe locals aross the state may seek parcel taxes that target residential and commercial properties differently
From the Cabinet Report's Tom Chorneau: "Earlier this month, the state Supreme Court let stand a ruling invalidating a tiered parcel tax measure put before voters in 2008 by Alameda Unified. The move also held open an invitation to the Legislature to weigh in on the question of ‘rational classification’ of tax rates."
"While there had been some hope that the issue would be taken up this year, Assemblyman Rob Bonta – who represents the Alameda area– said last week such a legislative fix is not likely to be pursued until next year."
"Bonta, D-Alameda, introduced AB 59 in January to clarify the authority of school districts to levy special taxes including assigning higher rates based on the types of property within its jurisdiction. But the proposal was set aside this spring out of concerns of a potential conflict with the iconoclastic property tax measure Proposition 13, as well as the bill’s retroactive reach."
Say good by to San Clemente -- the dam, that is.
From the LAT's Bettina Boxall: "More than 90 years ago the San Clemente Dam rose on what John Steinbeck called in a novel "a lovely little river" that "has everything a river should have."
"These days, that's not so true of the Carmel River, which empties into the Pacific Ocean just south of Carmel. The river is overpumped. Flood plain has been lost to development, and the silted-up San Clemente is vulnerable to collapse in an earthquake, threatening 1,500 downstream structures."
"But next month, in what officials say is the state's largest-ever dam removal, work will begin on a three-year project to dismantle the 106-foot-tall concrete dam and reroute half a mile of the river."
And from our "Where in the World is Carmen San Diego, er, Edward Snowden?" file comes the tale of an international road to nowhere. Or is it Cuba? Or Iceland? Or Ecuador?
"Edward Snowden’s whereabouts are currently unknown after he failed to get on an Aeroflot flight the Russian airline said he was booked on from Moscow to Havana."
"It has been assumed that he was heading via Cuba for Ecuador; Quito’s foreign minister Ricardo Patiño Aroca said yesterday the country had received an asylum application from him. But amid farcical scenes the plane full of journalists – and presumably representatives of various governments – took off for Cuba without him."
"One reporter tweeted a plaintive picture of Snowden’s empty chair."
We think he's headed to Fresno ...
