West Contra Costa County Unified School District has received a “lack of going concern” determination from its county board of education. That means the district is unable to meet its financial obligations. But 60 percent of its deficit is accounted for by spending on an unnecessary insurance subsidy for retired employees known as “OPEB” (Other … Continue reading Stop Sacrificing Students To OPEB
Category: OPEB
Other Post-Employment Benefits
SFUSD Ignores Millions In Federal Funds
San Francisco Unified School District spends up to 250% more than the average CA school district on OPEB, which are insurance subsidies for retired employees. That's because SFUSD is one of the few districts to subsidize retirees on Medicare. And because SFUSD doesn't take advantage of generous federal subsidies available under Obamacare for retirees under … Continue reading SFUSD Ignores Millions In Federal Funds
Covering CA’s Undocumented
Dear Legislators, 92 percent of Californians have insurance coverage. The eight percent who don't are primarily undocumented residents. CA has sufficient ongoing resources to cover them. Concerns about covering the undocumented have centered on the risk that a new program, estimated to cost $3 billion per year, would add to the state's structural deficit. But … Continue reading Covering CA’s Undocumented
CA’s 1 Percent
Dear Legislators, Eight percent of California residents don't have health insurance yet an elite population of less than one percent not only have access to Medicare, Affordable Care Act and employer coverage but also a special insurance system just for them that costs the state $5 billion per year. The elite insured are retired state … Continue reading CA’s 1 Percent
Hoover Institution: Bipartisan Opportunism Is to Blame for California’s High Tax Rate
Conventionally, Ronald Reagan is characterized as conservative. But as a first-term governor of California in 1968 (Reagan earned the job in 1966, denying Pat Brown a third gubernatorial term), he signed the Meyers-Milias-Brown Act, which endowed police and other local personnel with the power to bargain collectively with the governments that employed them, handing political power … Continue reading Hoover Institution: Bipartisan Opportunism Is to Blame for California’s High Tax Rate
Underfunded Kids, Overinsured Retirees
The Governor's Budget projects deficits down the road but that's no reason not to enact worthy programs with savings from eliminating unworthy programs, and especially those contributing to the structural deficit to which Governor Newsom refers in his budget message. For example, Senator Skinner has introduced a spot bill to establish Universal School Meal and … Continue reading Underfunded Kids, Overinsured Retirees
Tax Increase Proposals
Last year we spent as much time blocking tax increase proposals as liberating nurse practitioners. This year will be the same. Reform efforts will focus on OPEB and tenure but at least as much time will be devoted to blocking tax increases, bills to extend collective bargaining rights to legislative staff, and more. Proposals to … Continue reading Tax Increase Proposals
San Diego’s Budget Deficit
Dear Legislators, Nearly half of San Diego's $86 million budget deficit appears to be attributable to a failure to access federal and state dollars. According to San Diego's latest Annual Report, in 2019 the city made $39 million in insurance benefit payments on behalf of retired employees who aren't making use of federal and state … Continue reading San Diego’s Budget Deficit
How Oakland Can Help Itself
Dear Legislators,Re yesterday's post, some readers asked what Oakland should do. Maybe an analogy would help.Say that Oakland has been paying 100% of the cost to repair its roads and the federal and state governments launch programs to provide 90% of the cost of city road-repairing. Should Oakland continue to pay 100% of the cost … Continue reading How Oakland Can Help Itself
There’s No Need To Cut Oakland Police!
Dear Legislators, Today′s SF Chronicle includes this frightening headline: Oakland cut active policing to save $20 million per year. But those cuts aren't necessary! That's because the city is spending nearly twice that much unnecessarily to provide health insurance to retired police and other employees who aren't making use of Covered California. Eg, a 53 … Continue reading There’s No Need To Cut Oakland Police!