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"Despite a series of a cautionary reports by outside agencies and groups, the Obama administration is reaffirming its commitment to California's $98.5-billion bullet train project.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood traveled the state this week and met privately with Gov. Jerry Brown Thursday to discuss the embattled project, issuing a statement of support through the governor's office.

“Over the past week, I have traveled all over the Golden State and have found a strong base of support for the California High-Speed Rail project, from workers who will build it, manufacturers that will supply the trains to run on it and businesses that will benefit from using it,” LaHood said. “The Obama Administration is committed to High-Speed Rail because it is good for the economy and the nation. I look forward to working with Governor Brown to make this project as successful as possible.”

For the White House, California appears to be the lone subscriber to the president's vision for high-speed rail. Facing budget deficits and sluggish growth, Ohio, Florida and Wisconsin have all scrapped their proposals."

Obama California High Speed Rail

"The legal settlement reached Thursday among five big banks, the federal government and 49 states won’t fix the housing market, but it should help two categories of homeowners who are plentiful in California.

The $25 billion settlement has provisions aimed at people who are behind in their payments and under threat of foreclosure and for those who have kept up with their payments but whose homes are worth less than they owe.

People in the first category – those behind in their payments – will be eligible to have the principal they owe on their loans reduced, making it easier for them to catch up and remain current.

People in the second category will be eligible to refinance their loans even though they might not be able to meet the usual loan-to-value ratios required by banks.

It is these people who have probably been the most frustrated by the collapse of the market. They are generally employed, have good credit, and have kept paying on their loans even as many others have simply walked away from their homes and their loans and handed the bank the keys.

For their trouble, though, these folks have been told they cannot refinance to take advantage of historically low interest rates because their new loans would still be for more than their homes are worth, or at least too big to provide the 20 percent cushion banks typically require between the value of the loan and the value of the home.

It’s not yet clear how many of these people will be allowed to refinance, and exactly what the rules governing the process will be. All of that will be hammered out over the next six to nine months as the settlement is implemented.

The settlement covers loans owned and serviced by Ally/GMAC, Bank of America, Citigroup, J.P. Morgan Chase and Wells Fargo."

Obama Housing California

"In unveiling a landmark $25-billion settlement of investigations of foreclosure abuses, federal and state officials said Thursday they were holding the nation’s five largest mortgage servicers accountable for the problems while also providing help to up to 2 million homeowners affected by the collapse of the housing market.

"This isn’t just about punishing banks for their irresponsible behavior," Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan said at a Washington news conference. "It’s also about requiring them to help the people they harmed by funding efforts to help homeowners stay in their homes."

The deal between federal officials, attorneys general from California and 48 other states, and the five servicers -- Bank of America Corp., JPMorgan Chase Co., Wells Fargo Co., Citigroup Inc. and Ally Financial Inc. -- was completed after more than a year of negotiations to settle investigations into foreclosure improprieties, such as robo-signing.

"Today we pick up another piece of the wreckage caused by the foreclosure crisis,” said Illinois Atty. Gen. Lisa Madigan.

The settlement sets new national standards for mortgage servicing, to be overseen by an independent monitor, that officials said would end the frustrating runarounds by consumers who try to get their mortgages modified or make other changes."

Obama Housing California

"A group that hoped to put a sweeping public employee pension reform measure on the November ballot is suspending its campaign.

"It's a sad day for pension reform in California," said Aaron McLear, spokesman for Sacramento-based California Pension Reform.

Although the group had drafted two measures that qualified for signature collection, it couldn't raise the $2 million or so needed to mount the petition effort for either one. "

Pension California

"In the March issue of Golf Digest, Dodgers broadcaster (and former CBS golf announcer) Vin Scully talks about his love of the game and of just being out on the course. "The crack of the bat in baseball is a gorgeous sound," he tells Guy Yocom. "But you don’t quite get the full effect unless you’re very close to the field, because the roar of the crowd often gets to you before the crack of the bat does. In golf, there is all that delicious silence, so the sound of a top pro hitting the ball is so pure. The feeling the pro gets—that sweet sensation that goes through the hands, up the arms and into the heart—the sound gives the fans a taste of that."

Scully shares some favorite experiences on the course at Bel-Air Country Club with the late columnist Jim Murray and others, such as Sandy Koufax. He also shares some of his fears about retirement and why he's coming back next month for his 63rd season with the Dodgers at age 84."

California Scully Dodgers

"A group that hoped to put a sweeping public employee pension reform measure on the November ballot is suspending its campaign.

"It's a sad day for pension reform in California," said Aaron McLear, spokesman for Sacramento-based California Pension Reform.

Although the group had drafted two measures that qualified for signature collection, it couldn't raise the $2 million or so needed to mount the petition effort for either one.

In November, Calfornia Pension Reform submitted a proposal to put future state and local public employees into defined contribution plans and another measure that would have shifted future workers into hybrid pensions. In January, it received the title and summary for both, intending to determine which would poll better and then shop that plan to potential campaign donors."

California Initiative

"California has the most expensive red-light camera tickets in the world - the fine is so steep that one camera in Oakland generates more than $3 million a year - and a Fremont man is launching a protest group to do something about that.

If Roger Jones has his way, that freezing dread that knifes through a driver the moment he sees the overhead flash of a traffic camera will become a thing of the past.

But he's facing quite an uphill fight against officials hungry for the cash the cameras sweep in and police who are convinced they make the roads safer."

California Red-Light Cameras

"Rose Ann DeMoro is always ready for another fight.

And why not? During the past decade, the leader of the California Nurses Association has won so many of her battles.

Largely because of CNA efforts, California is poised to become the first state where registered nurses make an average salary above $100,000.

The union helped defeat gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman in 2010 and has become a political force, throwing financial support behind candidates for offices ranging from Santa Rosa City Council to state attorney general.

And more recently, nurses flexed their muscles with a series of one-day walkouts in support of other hospital employees who are in tough contract negotiations.

"This is a significant career with responsibility for life and death," DeMoro said. Hospitals, she said, "are looking to make more money off the backs of nurses. That's not going to happen."

The health care industry bristles at CNA tactics, including last Tuesday's one-day nurse walkout at Kaiser Permanente hospitals alongside striking workers from the smaller National Union of Healthcare Workers. Hospital officials say the solidarity strikes put patients at risk."

California Nurses Association

"On Tuesday, the Census Bureau will fulfill its constitutional mandate and release its highly anticipated official state population totals and the resulting allotment of House seats and Electoral College votes for the next decade.

For some states, there isn’t much suspense. Georgia, Nevada, and Utah are all but certain to gain an additional seat in the House, while Iowa, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania are all but certain to lose a seat and Ohio is all but certain to lose two seats. However, much like NCAA basketball teams anticipate Selection Sunday, some states are “on the bubble” and won’t know how many seats they will have until Tuesday. According to population estimates released by Election Data Services’ Kimball Brace, the ten states in contention for the “last five” seats in the House (in order of likelihood to make the cut) are South Carolina, Florida, Minnesota, Washington, Texas, New York, California, Arizona, North Carolina, and Illinois.

While South Carolina, Washington, California, and North Carolina are all in the running for one additional seat, Minnesota and Illinois are fighting just to preserve their current totals. The big winner, Texas, will gain either three or four new seats. Florida and Arizona will either gain one or two new seats. And New York will lose either one or two of its current seats. What’s at stake in the reapportionment release for these “bubble” states in 2012 and beyond?"

California Reapportionment

"Gov.-elect Jerry Brown appears poised to ask voters next year to raise taxes, or at least continue some temporary taxes that will soon expire, or see vital public programs, such as the schools, suffer irreparable harm.

Ever since his election last month, the once and future governor has been hinting that he'll ask voters for additional state revenues to partially close a whopping budget deficit, now approaching $30 billion during the next 18 months.

As Brown staged the second of his public budget talk fests Tuesday, this one at UCLA and devoted to education, his doomsday strategy became clearer, although one had to interpret his characteristically elliptical allegories to see it.

Brown said he'll propose a budget in January that will be so shocking that those affected should read about it while sitting down and hopes to conclude a deal in the Legislature within 60 days.

That's clearly aimed at having a special election in May or June to give voters the choice of absorbing drastic cuts in education and other major state programs or reducing the impact, perhaps by half, by increasing taxes."

California California_Budget Jerry_Brown

"The California economy will come back strong.

Just not right away.

That's the gist of the UCLA Anderson Forecast, one of the most closely watched economic crystal balls in the state.

The latest quarterly edition of the forecast, to be released today, says unemployment in California won't dip below 10 percent until the fourth quarter of 2012. The statewide unemployment rate as of October was 12.4 percent.

Among the factors holding back stronger economic growth in the near term: the ongoing slump in housing, weakness among overseas trading partners, and the state's budget deficit.

UCLA senior economist Jerry Nickelsburg said in an interview Monday that the recovery in California will be led largely by exporters."

California UCLA

California's political and financial vise tightened Thursday as the Legislature's budget analyst forecast bigger deficits, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger declared that he wouldn't increase taxes to cover them and gave up on borrowing $5.5 billion – and the Ob

California ArnoldSchwarzenegger

In the first bit of good news in almost a year, unemployment in California essentially flattened out in April at 11%, the U.S. Department of Labor reported today.

Though the Golden State led the country in the number of jobs lost for the month -- 63,700

California

California will go bankrupt, muni and state debt will spike, the federal government will backstop humanitarian programs and very possibly all state and local debt, and eventually, California will figure out whether it wants higher taxes or lower spending.

California ArnoldSchwarzenegger

Californians are well known for periodic voter revolts, but on Tuesday they did more than just lash out at Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and the Legislature over the state's fiscal debacle.

By rejecting five budget measures, Californians also brought into s

California politics ArnoldSchwarzenegger CaliforniaSpecialElection

The California Chamber of Commerce listed its 2009 "job killer" bills today, just in time for the end-of-May floor action in the Assembly and Senate.

Among the 27 bad-for-business measures the chamber is targeting is Assemblywoman Fiona Ma's Assembly Bil

California California_Chamber_of_Commerce

California's projected budget deficit has grown as large as $21.3 billion through next June due to a sharp economic decline, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger disclosed Monday in a letter to the Legislature.

The latest projection means lawmakers will consider d

California ArnoldSchwarzenegger

Reporting from Sacramento -- California could run out of money as soon as July, the Legislature's chief budget analyst warned Thursday, as a new poll showed voters poised to reject five budget-related measures on the May 19 ballot.

If the propositions do

California ArnoldSchwarzenegger

The Obama administration is threatening to rescind billions of dollars in federal stimulus money if Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and state lawmakers do not restore wage cuts to unionized home healthcare workers approved in February as part of the budget.

S

barack_obama ArnoldSchwarzenegger California

President Obama voted in the Senate to provide additional funding for a program targeted for elimination by his budget that provides states a federal subsidy to offset the costs of jailing illegal immigrants.
The program is popular with border state polit

barack_obama illegalimmigration California