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It appears that “we” can afford anything we want to afford, including a measly $15 million in starter-set money for training-wheel cities. So, not to be flip, but how the heck do the Times, state auditors, the governor (who wants us to vote ourselves a tax increase in November), the Legislature or the Man in the Moon know what “we” can afford? Four years ago, the borrow-now-pay-back-later Legislature owed these funds about $750 million. Since the parks’ “hidden assets” scandal broke, the state has discovered caches of found money for healthcare, crime victims and recycling totaling at least $200 million.Īs big as that number may seem, it’s peanut shells compared to what the gimmick-prone Legislature grabs (or “borrows”) from these special dedicated funds to balance the budget. The foundation spokesman lamented that the parks really do need money - there’s $1.3 billion in “deferred maintenance” - but because of the “unfortunate timing,” this fundraising mailer “will not be successful.” Oops.) (Last week, I received, at home, a “Save Our State Parks!!” mailer from the non-profit California State Parks Foundation. Or do we? California has a strange way of going broke.Ī few weeks ago, the director of the state Parks & Rec Department resigned after $54 million of unreported money was found in two parks accounts. Gray Davis, The Debtinator cut the VLF and immediately punched a $4 billion hole in the budget.
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Five seconds after taking over from ousted Gov.
#Debtinator license
Well before the Tea Party was born, Californians rebelled against the vehicle license fee. The Times says this all goes back to the car tax, which is a polite way of saying it goes back to us. Suppose we were reading about four fledgling cities in Alameda or Santa Clara counties? Where would they register on our sympathy meter? Lower than low, I bet. Not to be flip, but the Times has a point. “Not to be flip,” said the Times, “but that’s the way it goes.” If the state’s not bailing out ancient bankrupt cities, why should new cities feel entitled to a cash infusion? The nerve!Ī bill to re-divert that money back to cities in 2012-13 tanked. However, it is the Debts and Expenses tabs that. Why? This “health and welfare” loot comes from the DMV’s car-tax fund and the Legislature decided to spend at least $153 million of that money on other stuff: law enforcement and public safety. Debtinator will need to know the amount you transfer, from which to which account, the date of the transfer, and whether it is repetitive or not. This is the quartet of new RivCo cities that, a year ago, hoped to bag up to $15 million in start-up cash but didn’t get it. The LA Times, which appears to have become the house organ for the state of California, declared in a Friday editorial (or press release), “…sorry, JurupaValley, Menifee, Wildomar and Eastvale, but we can’t afford you.” See Video of my nominee for California’s “Official Song” below. Laura Roughton is mayor of Jurupa Valley, one of three new RivCo cities that had hoped for an infusion of state cash.