governor

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Official Description of Governor’s Tax Initiative from the LAO

Byuclafaculty

As readers of this blog will know, the Regents have endorsed Prop 30, the governor’s tax initiative to be on the ballot Nov. 6, 2012.  Below is the official description from the Legislative Analyst’s Office that will be seen by voters. ========= Proposition 30 Temporary Taxes to Fund Education. Guaranteed Local Public Safety Funding. Initiative Constitutional Amendment. Summary of Legislative Analyst’s Estimate of Net State and Local Government Fiscal Impact Fiscal Impact: Increased state tax revenues through 2018-19, averaging about $6 billion annually over the next few years. Revenues available for funding state budget. In 2012-13, planned spending reductions, primarily to…

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Regents Endorse Governor’s Tax Initiative

Byuclafaculty

Although we posted an audio and some description of the July 18 morning session of the Regents in which they endorsed Prop 30, the governor’s tax initiative, you might want to read about it rather than listen.  The Regents acted after the strong urging of President Yudof.  Here is an excerpt from Larry Gordon’s story in the LA Times with a link: …the governing board of the 10-campus system formally endorsed the governor’s tax measure. “It’s a simple question: Will UC be better off if it passes than if it doesn’t? That’s not just an answer of ‘yes,’ that’s an…

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Listen to Audio of the Morning Session of the Regents: July 18, 2012

Byuclafaculty

The Regents sessions on the morning of July 18thwere heavily budget oriented.  This audio is incomplete and starts in the midst of President Yudof’s statement on budget matters and his advocacy of support by the Regents for the governor’s tax initiative on the November ballot.   Public comments by students and others ended in a demonstration of the type that has become standard at Regents meetings.  In essence, demonstrators wanted tuition freezes, even if the governor’s initiative did not pass.  Other items were raised including the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.  Eventually, police cleared the room of demonstrators.  The recording continued during roughly…

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Preview of Coming Campaign for Prop 30: Governor’s Tax Initiative

Byuclafaculty

Here is a preview of what the coming campaign for Prop 30 – the governor’s tax initiative – will look like.  The YouTube video (scene at right; link below) runs over one and a half minutes so it probably won’t air in full on TV (where 30 second and 60 second ads are the norm).  But similar themes are likely to be struck in the pro-Prop 30 campaign. We have not yet seen what the anti campaign will look like. The Regents are likely to endorse Prop 30 at their upcoming meeting. You can see the video below:[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtO1xsnWsw4&w=320&h=195]

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Tax Initiative War Shaping Up Could Hurt UC

Byuclafaculty

There are three tax measures on the November ballot.  Prop 30 – the governor’s tax initiative – is a temporary increase in income taxes and sales taxes.  If it doesn’t pass, there will be trigger cuts including a $250 million cut to UC.  See prior blog posts for info including the Regents’ likely endorsement of Prop 30.  The tax proposition most in competition with Prop 30 is Prop 38 sponsored by Molly Munger.  Earlier in the game, the governor tried to make a deal with Munger so that her initiative would not appear.  That attempt failed.  Now it is being…

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A One-Sided Deal?

Byuclafaculty

At their July meeting, the Regents are likely to endorse the governor’s tax initiative in exchange for certain promises from “senior” people in the governor’s office.  Specifically, a four-year compact with UC is on offer assuming that the initiative passes in November.Below the relevant parts of the deal are described, taken from a document on the Regents’ agenda.  Note that a) the compact is unenforceable and we had a bad experience with a supposed compact with the previous governor and b) the legislature is seemingly not involved even though the legislature is where budgets are enacted.Although the deal encompasses a…

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Final Nail in Coffin for November Pension Ballot Proposition

Byuclafaculty

At one time, Gov. Brown was insisting that there should be ballot proposition in November limiting public pensions.  As readers of this blog will know, the governor has a plan for public pensions that would override the changes the Regents enacted for the UC pension system in 2010. The time has long passed for an initiative on pensions to make it to the November ballot.  In theory, the legislature could put something on pensions on the ballot despite any time limits.  But in fact legislative Dems don’t like the governor’s plan and would be unlikely to go along with the…

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Numbers Game Mainly Over for November Ballot Propositions

Byuclafaculty

The legislature and Governor Brown succeeded in getting the governor’s tax initiative at the top of the ballot (as Prop 30).  There is still some litigation on the numbering issue going on but below is the likely listing you will see in November: Prop 30 – Gov. Jerry Brown’s tax increase planProp 31 – State budget process changesProp 32 – Ban on payroll deductions for political contributions; ban on contributions to candidates from unions and corporationsProp 33 – Auto insurance rates based on driver’s history of coverageProp 34 – Death penalty repealProp 35 – Increased penalties for human traffickingProp 36…

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Sacramento Pension Politics Could Open Door to UC Exemption

Byuclafaculty

Governor Brown has a 12-point pension plan for all public pensions in California that would override UC’s own pension solution.  The legislative leaders have a different view on pensions than the governor but they also have shown no sign of being willing to exempt UC so far. However, while the governor and the legislature tussle over the pension issue, voters have imposed pension changes in local elections, notably in San Diego and San Jose.  The governor has indicated that public sector unions should agree to his plan or they will get worse from local voters.  It appears that Senate leader…

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A Happy Fella

Byuclafaculty

In a June 29 report to the Regents, President Yudof recounts the impact of the new state budget on UC and notes other issues still pending at the legislature.  Presumably, all of these developments will be reviewed at the upcoming Regents meeting later this month. [Thanks to David Lopez for passing it along.] The Yudof report praises our friend in Sacramento (governor+legislator) for fiscal beneficence.  When you consider that we froze (or the Regents are about to freeze) tuition today for a promise of $125 million in next year’s budget, you might think the praise is a bit effusive.  You…