GFC’s Army

Often we are asked why GFC has regional chapters. The answer is that we admired the political power of the Service Employees International Union so much that we copied it. SEIU knows how to punch its political weight. Like SEIU’s chapters, GFC’s chapters are infantry units that persistently donate to legislators and candidates for the … Continue reading GFC’s Army →

CA Legislators Are Underpaid

California's 120 state legislators have responsibility over 29 legal codes that govern daily life: They consider up to 5000 bills a year and generally pass 1000 or so, ~80 percent of which are signed into laws that impact more Californians than the laws of any other government body in the state. Yet their salaries are … Continue reading CA Legislators Are Underpaid →

GFC’s Political Muscle

Last week I wrote that we believe a 10-year-old GFC in 1999 could've stopped the enactment of SB 400, which granted a retroactive pension increase. That’s because of the political muscle we’ve added over the last decade. We will discuss that subject and more at our October 22 Legislative Session Review for donors. For now, … Continue reading GFC’s Political Muscle →

CA Donation Conflicts Must End

Under SEC rules, investment advisors who do work for state and local pension funds can be disqualified if they make political contributions at certain levels to elected officials or candidates for those offices who have a say in the public pension decisions to contract with investment advisors. That's a good thing because public pension funds … Continue reading CA Donation Conflicts Must End →

22 Years Ago Today

It was 22 years ago today that Senate Bill 400 granted a retroactive pension increase to CA state employees that amounted to the largest non-voter-approved issuance of debt in state history. One result has been a nearly 10-fold increase in pension contributions. Another has been a shift of tax revenues from programs to pensions. Unions … Continue reading 22 Years Ago Today →

Thank You, CA DMV

Dear Legislators, Earlier this week I easily applied online for a REAL ID and the next day smoothly completed the procedure in person at a DMV office. The process was painless and DMV staff were kind. We all know that California is capable of providing excellent government services to residents and students at reasonable costs. … Continue reading Thank You, CA DMV →

If You Thought The Recall Was Expensive . . .

In June the governor and legislature quietly granted an unwarranted $500 million per year salary increase to state prison guards using a loophole inserted into state code in 1981. Gov. Code Section 19826 deals with “Administration of Salaries,” which this fiscal year will amount to $20 billion. Subsection (c) of Section 19826 requires the state … Continue reading If You Thought The Recall Was Expensive . . . →

Code Repair In California

CA Gov. Code Section 19826 deals with “Administration of Salaries” amounting to $20 billion per year: Subsection (c) of Section 19826 requires the state to produce a study of salaries of employees in comparable occupations in private industry and other governmental agencies at least six months before the end of a contract with a bargaining … Continue reading Code Repair In California →

Where Your CA Estimated Tax Payments Are Going

Today marks the date by which third quarter estimated income tax payments are due in California. Some of the money will go to a $500 million per year salary increase awarded in June to prison guards by the Legislature and Governor without complying with state law.According to the Legislative Analysts' Office, General Salary Increases (GSIs) … Continue reading Where Your CA Estimated Tax Payments Are Going →

When Good Legislators Do Bad Things

Sometimes good legislators do bad things. Eg, Assembly Member Jacqui Irwin, pressured by county employees in her district and as a favor to another legislator, recently carried a gut-and-amend bill that we stopped. But we will still support her. That's because generally she is supportive of the public interest when attending to the 29 legal … Continue reading When Good Legislators Do Bad Things →