A spokesman for Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger called this afternoon to offer "context" to the Sacramento Bee story on the recent growth in the state government work force. I linked to the Bee story in this morning's blog post. Here. The aide did not deny the substance of the Bee story, [...]

What are these people thinking? The Sacramento Bee reports today that the state government work force continues to grow - despite a supposed hiring freeze and budget shortfalls that are pushing the state to the brink of bankruptcy. A spokesman for Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger even claimed that a reduced rate [...]

"We have to have the courage to confront what isn't working."- Carl Wong, Sonoma County superintendent of schools.After too many years in which Democratic politicians pandered to teachers' unions and school bureaucracies, a new Democratic president last week declared that it is time to move on.Putting aside the old politics, [...]

Returning from vacation, it's fun to catch-up with all the creative ways that local cities are trying to cope with budget shortfalls.In Rohnert Park, the City Council has hired a consultant to tell them where to make spending cuts. If nothing else, it's an arrangement that offers the opportunity to [...]

We read every day about the hardships, but a road trip serves up different ways to experience what happens when an economy is contracting.In Southern California this past few days, we found hotel room rates less than what they were three years ago - and reservations were never a problem. [...]

"If we continue to go down this path, we will devolve . . . into a collection of tribes."- Dan Walters, state political columnist.SACRAMENTOAt a hotel two blocks from the Capitol, they came together to share their frustrations. The state is suffering a crisis of leadership, they agreed, and nothing [...]

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The groups that sponsored a government reform conference on Tuesday left Sacramento with ambitions to sponsor two ballot measures in 2010.The first would authorize voters to call a constitutional convention. (Only the legislature now has the authority to call a convention - and good luck with that. It hasn't happened [...]

Are counties an anachronism from the 19th century? As Californians debate ideas for re-inventing state and local government, some argue that counties don't make sense anymore. They should be abolished, it is argued, or at least consolidated.During a question and answer session this morning at a Sacramento meeting on government [...]

California's system of government doesn't work, and in its current form, it can't work, the veteran political columnist Dan Walters said this morning.At a gathering of reform-minded organizations, Walters said the current structure of government was designed for an agrarian, sparsely populated society - not the large, culturally and geographically [...]