James Nash

Brown Boosts California Schools Spending by $2.9 Billion

bloomberg.com — California Governor Jerry Brown damped lawmakers' hopes for using a tax windfall with a revised budget that expends $1.3 billion less next year than he proposed four months ago. The governor, who had projected a $97.7 billion plan in January, said economic growth was being curbed by higher federal payroll taxes and automatic budget cuts.

Brown Boosts California Schools Spending by $2.9 Billion

bloomberg.com — California Governor Jerry Brown increased spending on education by $2.9 billion and projected that the state would have an $850 million surplus at the end of next year after voters boosted sales and income taxes. Brown cautioned that the revenue increases could be temporary, noting that the "uncertain economic recovery" and other factors could jeopardize California 's progress.

Detroit Manager Citing Cash Crisis Targets Debt for Cuts

bloomberg.com — Detroit may run out of cash next month and must cut costs such as long-term debt and retiree obligations, according to emergency financial manager Kevyn Orr's preliminary plan to improve services and keep Michigan 's largest city out of bankruptcy.

Los Angeles fails to foster diversity for city contract deals

scpr.org — BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa speaks during a luncheon at the National Press Club ON January 14, 2013 in Washington. Villaraigosa spoke about immigration reform, gun laws and other issues. More than a decade ago, voters in California approved a measure that barred any state government agency from considering factors like race or gender when it came to awarding public contracts.

White Men Get 92% of Contracts in Post-Affirmative Action L.A.

bloomberg.com — More than a decade after Los Angeles started trying to sidestep California 's affirmative action ban, firms owned by white men won 92 percent of the $2.1 billion in contracts awarded by the city, though they're just 14 percent of the population.

Gold’s Biggest Drop in 30 Years Fails to Deter Advocates

bloomberg.com — A drive to recognize gold and silver as legal currency, rather than trust in U.S. dollars, is forging ahead with bills in six states, even after gold lost 13 percent of its value over two trading days last month.

Murdoch Says Immigration Bill Has Enough Backing to Pass

bloomberg.com — Rupert Murdoch, chairman of News Corp. (NWSA), predicted that a bill in the U.S. Senate that would allow many undocumented immigrants to become citizens in about 13 years has enough support in Congress to pass. Murdoch, speaking yesterday at the Milken Institute Global Conference in Los Angeles, described the proposal as the most viable attempt to overhaul U.S.

California Inmate Coffee-Roasters Lose as Prisons Shrink

bloomberg.com — California (STOCA1)'s prison industries program, which includes ventures from coffee-roasting to furniture-making, is the largest such U.S. effort to give felons a life after lockup. Yet Governor Jerry Brown 's very success in reducing inmate overcrowding is endangering it.