Prison guards are the most expensive category of California's state pension expenditures, which have exploded: Research recently completed by the State and Local Government Finance Project at the Rockefeller College of Public Affairs calculates that two common sense pension reforms could cut state pension spending by 45 percent while still leaving retirees with hefty pensions. … Continue reading Prison Guard Reform In California
Category: Prison Spending
In Support Of More California Prison Reform
Nearly five decades ago, elected officials in California started enacting sentencing laws that rapidly filled the state’s prisons. Only in the last decade did that process start to reverse. Effecting political change is not for people with short attention spans. Momentum for reform continues and GFC has been pleased to support organizations like Smart Justice … Continue reading In Support Of More California Prison Reform
A Profile In Hypocrisy
Several members of the GFC Network have asked, “how can a state legislator get away with saying one thing but doing another?” Here’s how: The biggest bank balance in the State Assembly has been accumulated by a progressive-talking legislator from a progressive district who collects most of his money from special interests. None of his top … Continue reading A Profile In Hypocrisy
Disinformation In Sacramento
The Washington Post’s masthead reads “Democracy Dies in Darkness” but sometimes democracy dies in plain sight in Sacramento, where unverified assertions are often employed to justify billions in spending, cover up accounting frauds, shift blame for undue political influence, and more. For example, whenever a new contract for state prison employees is under consideration, legislators … Continue reading Disinformation In Sacramento
Returns On Political Spending
Last night at the presidential debate in Atlanta more than one contender blamed political dysfunction on the political power of billionaires. But that’s a myth. Try finding a billionaire who earns anything close to the 10,000x return on political spending earned by California’s 57,000 public prison employees who collect $10 billion in annual compensation and … Continue reading Returns On Political Spending
Emmanuel Saez Must Not Know Politics
University of California at Berkeley economist Emmanuel Saez knows something about economics but apparently not about politics. In a recent debate with former US Treasury Secretary Larry Summers, Saez (who is also an advisor to presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren and proponent of a wealth tax) claimed there’s a correlation between wealth and political power. As … Continue reading Emmanuel Saez Must Not Know Politics
POP’s, GEOP’s and MacGuffins
Alfred Hitchcock often employed a technique in his films known as a “MacGuffin,” which is an object, device or event that draws attention from the real plot but is largely insignificant itself. MacGuffins are also employed in California politics, as the example below demonstrates. California houses less than 2 percent of its ~128,000 state prison … Continue reading POP’s, GEOP’s and MacGuffins
California’s 2019–20 State Budget
Today the legislature passed AB 74, the state budget for the 2019–20 fiscal year, which starts July 1. Governor Newsom is expected to sign it. Here’s our summary view: The Good: The legislature adopted the essence of Governor Newsom’s Revised Budget Proposal. As we expressed in our review of that proposal in May, to his great credit Governor Newsom … Continue reading California’s 2019–20 State Budget
Rationalizing California’s Corrections Compensation
Later this year California Governor Gavin Newsom will negotiate a new contract with state prison workers that must be approved by the legislature. The consequences are big, especially for discretionary programs supplied by the state’s General Fund. The state’s inmate population has dropped 22 percent since 2010–11, to 127,000: Staffing in the California Department of Corrections … Continue reading Rationalizing California’s Corrections Compensation
California’s Incredible Prison Spending
This year California’s governor and state legislature are choosing to spend $15 billion on the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR), which incarcerates 127,000 prisoners. $12 billion of the $15 billion is directly reflected in CDCR’s budget: CDCR's share of pension and health costs is another $3 billion: Salaries are the biggest expense. After the governor and … Continue reading California’s Incredible Prison Spending