California state minimum wage increase

Teachers unions are the “biggest budget winner” in California’s projected $98 billion budget surplus, the Wall Street Journal reports, seeing funding for public schools rise even as enrollment has plummeted thanks to closures during the pandemic. Earlier this month, Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) announced a record-breaking surplus, the result of unexpectedly high tax revenues and federal bailout funds from President Joe Biden’s America Rescue Plan, sold as an urgent rescue for blue states. The Journal noted : Mr. Newsom revealed the giant surplus in his updated $301 billion budget plan. State coffers have swelled by 40% during the pandemic thanks to Congress’s Covid spending and a capital-gains revenue gusher from surging asset prices. California’s surplus alone is bigger than the budget of every state besides Texas, Florida and New York. … The biggest budget winner as usual is the teachers unions. Public schools will get $128 billion, a 25% increase over pre-pandemic … [Read more...] about Teachers Unions ‘Biggest Budget Winner’ in California’s Record-setting $98 Billion Surplus

The Environmental Protection Agency for the first time is proposing a measure that would force four Western states to reduce their harmful emissions because of the impact they’re having on air quality in neighboring states — including Colorado. If approved, Utah, Wyoming and Nevada would be required to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from power plants and industrial manufacturing sites, while California would need to cut emissions from certain industries. National modeling shows those states’ emissions are blowing across the West and into metro Denver, adding to the already bad ground-level ozone pollution. The move would help Colorado because the EPA recently announced plans to downgrade Denver and the northern Front Range to “severe” violators of federal ozone standards, which would mean more stringent emissions limits for industries and higher gas prices for motorists. The EPA unveiled earlier this month its plan to include 26 states in an update of the agency’s … [Read more...] about EPA plan would force Utah, Wyoming and California to cut harmful air emissions drifting into Colorado

The problem is that most of the budget will be spent on one-time expenditures without any contribution to the advancement of the economy. Welfare budgets aimed at promoting public health and curbing unemployment will reach a whopping 200 trillion won next year. It would be much better if the money was spent taking care of the vulnerable class, overcoming our alarmingly low birthrate and creating jobs for the elderly. But the Moon Jae-in administration wants to spend money on creating 1.03 million public jobs — a 10 percent increase from this year — for senior citizens. The government is putting 21.3 trillion won into so-called Korean New Deal projects to help foster digital and green economies along with ratcheting up our social safety net. The colossal projects are already under fire for being replicas of earlier government projects. Besides, the projects have a plethora of loopholes and some are just plain wacky- sounding. These are far from what the Moon administration touted as … [Read more...] about Stop the spending

San Francisco voters may decide this fall whether to set aside $70 million per year to finance new programs in the city school system that backers hope will boost enrollment and improve the quality of public pre-K-12 education. Supervisor Hillary Ronen and five colleagues on the Board of Supervisors are proposing a City Charter amendment that would fund public school initiatives designed to enhance academic achievement or student wellness. Those could include accelerated math and literacy curriculum as well as academic specialists, nurses, psychologists, social workers, after-school programs, athletic or artistic offerings, and more. The 25-year fund would use money from existing state property taxes — voters would not be asked to raise any new public dollars if the charter amendment makes it to the November ballot. The proposal is also an effort to shore up the San Francisco Unified School District after it was battered by the pandemic and a series of controversies that … [Read more...] about S.F. schools could get $70 million per year more if voters back proposal

California Governor Gavin Newsom has branded his effort to expand abortion access in the state a “pro-life agenda,” even as he opposes the pro-life movement ahead of the imminent reversal of Roe v. Wade by the Supreme Court in coming weeks. Newsom’s plan to “expand access” to what he calls “reproductive health” — though its primary purpose is to stop reproduction — includes “incentive opportunities for businesses to relocate to California … from states with anti-abortion and anti-LGBTQ+ laws.” He also plans to spend $125 million on initiatives specifically related to abortion. To quote his plan: $125 Million Reproductive Health Package Governor Newsom’s updated plan has an increase of $57 million dollars for: ● Covering Uncompensated Care for the Uninsured. $40 million for grants to reproductive ● The California Reproductive Justice & Freedom Fund. $15 million for grants to ● Comprehensive Reproductive Rights Website. $1 million to develop and maintain a … [Read more...] about Gavin Newsom Calls Expanding Abortion Access a ‘Pro-life Agenda’