Tag: Budget Crisis Fri, March 19, 2010
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Survey: Californians Bummed About State of the State
Jan 27, 2010, by Jessica Lussenhop News
According to the latest survey by the Public Policy Institute of California, the Golden State is in an awfully foul mood going into 2010 and the upcoming election season. Two out of every three of those polled said California is headed for “bad economic times” in the next 12 months, and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has a very low approval rating of 30 percent. The legislature is even worse off, earning a scant 18 percent approval, just shy of the all–time record low of 17 percent. Poll respondents were also very gloomy about the legislators’ ability to work together in 2010—65 percent say they will not.
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Schools to Suffer Under New Budget
Jan 14, 2010, by Staff NewsSummer schools will likely fall victim to the latest round of budget cuts.
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More Cuts Ahead for Santa Cruz County
Jan 13, 2010, by Staff NewsSanta Cruz County has a $12.9 million deficit that it must close in the next 18 months. The County’s Chief Executive Susan Mauriello warns that welfare offices and their associated nonprofits can expect to face even deeper cuts than they did last year. In 2009, the county slashed its budget by 6 percent
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Time for Sensible Budget Solutions
Jan 13, 2010, by Bill Monning Opinion
Despite a collegial tone in his State of the State message, Gov. Schwarzenegger followed with a “slash and burn” budget proposal two days later. With a theme of “jobs, jobs and more jobs,” the governor seeks to reconcile a projected $21 billion deficit over the next 18 months by cutting safety net programs that create and protect jobs. In addition, the proposed budget inappropriately juxtaposes economic growth against hard-fought environmental protections and public transit programs.
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County Braces for More Service Cuts and Layoffs
Dec 18, 2009, by Staff NewsThe County Administrative Office has informed department heads that they must prepare for another 20 percent cost reduction in next year’s budget.
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Santa Cruz City Workers Vulnerable to Next Cuts
Dec 09, 2009, by Danny Wool News
“We’re in grave risk,” warned City Manager Dick Wilson during his mid-year budget update yesterday. He expects that next year’s revenue will not increase, while expenses increase, and the State of California eyes every possibility to close its own budget gap (estimated at one-quarter of the state budget). With all the low hanging fruit already picked, Wilson is recommending cutting retirement benefits for new municipal employees, and asking them to work until they are 60 or to receive fewer benefits if they retire at 55.
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One in Four Santa Cruz Households Living In Poverty
Dec 03, 2009, by Danny Wool NewsThe high cost of living coupled with a lack of jobs means Santa Cruz County is the hardest hit in the greater Bay Area.
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UCSC Academic Senate Takes a Stand
Oct 30, 2009, by Staff NewsOn Wednesday, the Academic Senate of UCSC took a stand again the budgetary cuts imposed throughout the UC system.
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Keeley Talks Taxes
Oct 07, 2009, by Jessica Lussenhop BusinessThe Santa Cruz County Treasurer helps demystify a bandied-about phrase: the business net receipts tax.
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A Social Movement, Not Budget Reform
Oct 06, 2009, by Christopher Barkan Opinion
UCSC doctoral candidate Christopher Barkan explains why student protesters won’t be satisfied with mere budget reform. “What is needed is a broad social movement,” he writes, “to articulate a new collective vision for the future that will replace this era of narrow special interests and for-profit social engineering.”
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Local Libraries Looking for Ideas
Oct 05, 2009, by Staff CommunityDo you have any ideas about how local libraries can improve their services? Teresa Landers wants to hear about them.
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Protesters Quit UCSC Building
Oct 02, 2009, by Staff NewsBut not before they trashed the only student-owned building on campus, say graduate students.
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UCSC Workers to Strike Today
Sep 24, 2009, by Staff NewsIt may be the first day of classes on the calendar, but the staff at UCSC is preparing to strike today to protest enforced furloughs and fee hikes agreed upon by the UC Board of Regents.
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Courts to Close One Day A Month
Sep 08, 2009, by Staff NewsIn an effort to save the county $300,000, a county court in Santa Cruz and another in Watsonville will be closed on the third Wednesday of every month beginning Sept. 16.
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County Parks Wait for Closure Notices
Sep 03, 2009, by Staff News
Santa Cruz residents are waiting to hear which of their favorite parks will be closed due to budget cuts. While no specific parks have been named yet, it is all but certain that at least some of the county’s parks will be among those closed to the public shortly after Labor Day. About 100 of the states 278 parks are scheduled to be closed, and the state has already stopped accepting camping reservations for all but 20 parks.
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Will High School Coaches Turn Down Their Stipends?
Aug 18, 2009, by Staff NewsSchool athletic programs are usually the first to take a hit when there is a budget crisis. Santa Cruz is tackling the problem by allowing coaches to turn down the stipend they usually receive for coaching their teams. While the stipend does not come to much per coach—depending on the sport, certified coaches who work full time at their schools can increase their salaries by $1,639-$3,125—the impact throughout school district could be significant, saving the school board as much as $300,000.
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The Glorious Gas Tax
Aug 15, 2009, by Jessica Lussenhop News
When District 27 Assemblymember Bill Monning hosted a town hall meeting about two weeks ago with the Campaign for Sensible Transportation, the table seemed set for a conversation on planes, trains and automobiles and the budget cuts to public transportation. But when County Treasurer Fred Keeley showed up, it became clear that the dialog on our abysmal budget deal has already left the station. After a budget session that gutted not just public transportation but every service imaginable, the two seemed to be trying to channel frustration into a call for major tax reform.
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Santa Cruz Schools to Take a Major Hit
Aug 13, 2009, by Staff NewsBetween 2010 and 2012 Santa Cruz schools will have to absorb at least $12 million in budget cuts just to keep the city’s educational system solvent.
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30 Santa Cruz County Workers Laid Off This Week
Aug 05, 2009, by Staff NewsWith the county’s budget in a bind, 30 employees affiliated with the Service Employees Union International will be laid off this week, and the union now suspects that 12 more could face that same fate next week.
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What’s the Bottom Line for Santa Cruz County?
Aug 04, 2009, by Staff NewsNumber crunchers calculate what it will take from local government to re-patch the state budget.
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Seniors to Suffer from State Budget Cuts
Aug 03, 2009, by Staff NewsAs the Governor went through the state’s new budget, he cut out $6.3 million in aid to the state’s senior citizens. About $380,000 of this will be borne by the seniors of Santa Cruz County.
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Public Transportation Topic of Meeting
Jul 31, 2009, by Staff NewsLocal lawmakers and community groups met yesterday for a town-hall meeting at the Louden Nelson Community Center to discuss public transportation in the county.
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Parks Department Not Out of the Woods Yet
Jul 29, 2009, by Kat Lynch News
The California budget crisis dealt the state parks system a new blow today when the governor vetoed an addition $6.2 million in funding, which will probably lead to the closure of at least 100 parks. According to the new budget, the state is cutting a total of $22.2 million from the parks budget. “It’s frustrating that the governor chose to make these additional cuts, despite the fact that our state parks are economic generators for Santa Cruz County and the state,” says Bonny Hawley, executive director of Friends of Santa Cruz State Parks, “an important fact as we continue to plumb the bottom of the Great Recession.
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State Reform Advocates See Golden Opportunity
Jul 28, 2009, by Jessica Lussenhop News
In the wake of the budget crisis, both the Commission on the 21st Century Economy and California Forward are trying to channel the same passion with which Californians cried “don’t cut us” into “change us.”
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Santa Cruz Hit Hard by State Budget
Jul 22, 2009, by Staff NewsCity and county officials throughout Santa Cruz are reeling from California’s proposed budget, calling it “the worst hit the state has ever imposed.” Social services, education, and public libraries will suffer some of the hardest hits, but law enforcement and public works will also be forced to cut back.
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John Laird to Join the Ranks of the Unemployed
Jul 22, 2009, by Staff NewsFormer 27th District Assemblyman and Santa Cruz mayor John Laird may be out of work on Thursday if the California State Budget is approved. The Integrated Waste Management Board, to which he was recently appointed, is about to be eliminated, and the waste agency that it oversees is about to be merged with the Department of Conservation.
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Parks Supporters Breathe Sigh of Relief
Jul 21, 2009, by Kat Lynch News
California’s belated state budget agreement brings good news to parks lovers: barring any unforeseen circumstances, California will cut $8 million from its state parks rather than $70 million, and just a few parks might close rather than 220. Over the next couple of weeks the California State Parks Department will look closely at each park. “Those with high attendance and revenue will likely be safe. At the moment we’re not sure which ones will have to close,” says Roy Stearns, Deputy Director of Communications of California State Parks. “Santa Cruz County has a lot of state parks that have high revenue and attendance.
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California Gets a Budget
Jul 21, 2009, by Staff News
Lawmakers and Gov. Schwarzenegger finally hammered out a deal last night to close the $26.3 million budget gap. The final budget more closely resembles the governor’s proposed budget than that of the Democratic lawmakers who’ve been locked in a stalemate with Schwarzenegger and legislative Republicans since February.
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UCSC Programs Get Grants Despite Budget Cuts
Jul 21, 2009, by Staff NewsWith California preparing to slash $3 billion from its University of California and California State University systems, the future seemed grim for UCSC. There was some good news yesterday though, when it was announced that the school won $6.3 million dollars from the UC system, to be used in four research major research projects.
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Volunteers Support Santa Cruz Libraries
Jul 20, 2009, by Staff NewsAs the current budget crisis has shown, public libraries are one of the first services to take a hit when the economy is down. Just last month Santa Cruz County was forced to cut back on hours, programming, and even staff to meet the most recent cuts in funding. Their salvation came from an unexpected sources—volunteers, who have been flooding public libraries asking to help out. Countywide, volunteers have increased 75 percent, totaling 16,000 hours.
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Good News for Santa Cruz Nonprofits
Jul 20, 2009, by Staff NewsFaced with a 25 percent across-the-board cut in municipal funding, Santa Cruz nonprofits received some good news on Thursday. The Community Foundation of Santa Cruz County announced that it is giving almost $750,000 to a wide range of nonprofits that provide safety-net services for the local community.
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Reports: Revenue from State Parks Exceeds Cost
Jul 16, 2009, by Alastair Bland News
The governor’s proposal to close 220 of the state’s 279 state parks as a cost-cutting measure could shoot California’s economy in the foot. Results of two university studies have concluded that California’s state parks generate more money than they cost to operate, and local park advocates assure that tourism in Santa Cruz County will suffer if the parks go off-limits. (With slide show)
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Santa Cruz Nonprofits the Latest Victims of Budget Cuts
Jul 16, 2009, by Staff NewsThough the Santa Cruz County Conference and Visitors Council was spared the budgetary scalpel at a meeting of the Santa Cruz City Council Tuesday, other organizations throughout the city were not as fortunate. The city voted to keep the CVC’s funding at the same level as last year, and decided the same for the County Cultural Council, but 52 other nonprofits face an across-the-board 25 percent cut in municipal funding. The cuts saved the city a total of $300,000.
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UCSC Facing Tough Budget Cuts
Jul 16, 2009, by Staff News
The finger pointing is well underway as regents of the UC system meet in San Francisco to decide on how to implement the necessary budget cuts for the coming year. The meeting comes in the wake of an $800 million cut in state funding to the 10-school system, compounded by an additional $335 million deficit expected over the next two years because of increasing costs.
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Tourism Agency’s Fate Lies in the Balance
Jul 14, 2009, by Staff BusinessWith Santa Cruz facing a $9.2 million deficit, Santa Cruz municipal lawmakers are considering cutting funding to the Santa Cruz County Conference and Visitors Council.
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Santa Cruz Final Budget Includes Citizen Input
Jul 10, 2009, by Curtis Cartier News
When the Santa Cruz City Council passes its 2009-2010 fiscal year budget next Tuesday, it will usher in an agenda radically different from any since the Loma Prieta earthquake struck in 1989. Then, an unexpected natural disaster leveled buildings, crumbled roads and forced residents to sacrifice services for years to come in efforts to rebuild the community. Now, a far-from-natural financial disaster has ripped through Santa Cruz, like so many other American towns, and though buildings still stand, the devastation is undeniable.
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County Bank to Accept State IOUs
Jul 09, 2009, by Staff News
Santa Cruz County Bank announced today that it will be joining big boys Bank of American and Bank of the West in accepting state issued IOUs, plus do customers one better.
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Monning: Schwarzenegger Making Bad Situation Worse
Jul 09, 2009, by Traci Hukill News
For the average Democratic lawmaker in California, the most vexing mystery playing out in state capitols right now isn’t why Sarah Palin is stepping down or what will break the farcical stalemate in the New York legislature. It’s why Gov. Schwarzenegger, just months ago united (relatively speaking) with Sacramento Democrats against their vociferously anti-tax GOP counterparts to pass a budget that included both cuts and revenue increases, has now adopted such a hardline stance against taxes that the legislature’s Republicans look almost reasonable by comparison.
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Vanity Plate Victim of Bad Economy
Jul 07, 2009, by Staff report Environment
Bay Area nature groups planned on launching a new vanity plate that could raise as much as $1 million a year to support nature preserves. Then the economy tanked.
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Santa Cruz Schools Team up to Fight Budget Cuts
Jul 06, 2009, by Staff report News
With steep budget cuts to education looming, Santa Cruz school boards are launching a countywide coalition to petition lawmakers for the right to make their own cuts in spending. According to State Sen. Joe Simitian, “Local control has always made sense, but flexibility and local decision-making is now more important than ever.” According to Santa Cruz City Schools trustee Cynthia Hawthorne, “We are much more in tune with what our students need than the state is.”
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Santa Cruz County Supes Dig Deep, Pass Budget
Jul 01, 2009, by Jessica Lussenhop NewsLast Thursday, as the County Board of Supervisors picked over the last remaining scraps of unfinished business in its 2009-10 budget, the board was asked to accept a 6 percent reduction in LAFCO’s budget. County Administrative Officer Susan Mauriello read off the amount—$5,913—to a few sad guffaws. “Don’t spend it all in one place,” someone quipped. “Every little penny counts,” scolded Mauriello.
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Video Records State Parks Fans’ Sentiments
Jun 30, 2009, by Kat Lynch News
Last Saturday, over the course of 12 hours, Dusty Nelson visited New Brighton, Wilder Ranch, Twin Lakes, Waddell Creek, Natural Bridges and Henry Cowell state parks. But it wasn’t a day of play; Nelson was on a mission. Camera in hand, working on behalf of the Friends of Satna Cruz State Parks, he interviewed parkgoers at the six state parks for their thoughts on the California State Parks crisis. The responses he got were much the same.
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Local Cop Shops Sweating Bullets Over Crime Labs
Jun 26, 2009, by Jessica Lussenhop News
“I can tell just by looking at this that this is cocaine,” says senior criminalist Meghan Kinney. She’s pointing to a computer readout of numbered lines, each corresponding to different chemicals found in a sample that’s just gone through the gas chromatography-mass spectrometer at the Freedom Crime Laboratory in Watsonville.
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Watsonville Passes Final Budget, With One Surprise
Jun 24, 2009, by Jessica Lussenhop NewsAt the final city council meeting on Watsonville’s budget Tuesday night, city staff managed to pull off a small miracle, to the surprise and delight of many of the assembled nonprofits.
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Breakdown: State Park Access Pass
Jun 24, 2009, by Traci Hukill NewsHow the proposed $15 State Park Access Pass, scheduled for a vote today as part of California Democrats’ answer to Gov. Schwarzenegger’s budget, would work.
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Santa Cruz May Forfeit Once-Profitable Golf Course
Jun 24, 2009, by Curtis Cartier News
You could play dozens of public golf courses in America and be hard pressed to find one better maintained than Santa Cruz’s city-owned De Laveaga Golf Course. With 6,010 yards of expertly manicured fairways and greens you could eat eggs off of, the course is the handiwork of a top-notch, well-paid group of unionized golf course professionals.
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We Can Save Our Parks As Part of Budget Solution
Jun 23, 2009, by Assemblymember Bill Monning OpinionDistrict 27 Assemblymember Bill Monning makes the case for the $15 State Parks Access Pass fee, which would fully fund the state parks system. “Although deep cuts are necessary to balance the budget, how we make those cuts and how we advance alternatives will reflect our values as a state,” he writes.
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Seacliff Beachgoers Just Say No to Parks Closures
Jun 21, 2009, by Kat Lynch News
A red electric wheelchair flies down the road to the beach at a whole two miles an hour. There, groups of children dig the classic tunnel to Australia or sculpt mermaid bodies on friends buried up to their necks in sand. At the end of the pier, families stare in awe of the cement World War I tanker. All this could change if Gov. Schwarzenegger and the state legislature close 80 percent of California state parks to help balance the budget deficit. The immense closure would include all of the 19 state parks in Santa Cruz County.
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The Adult Day Health Care Domino Effect
Jun 11, 2009, by Sara Clarenbach OpinionPreserving day health care for the elderly isn’t just the compassionate thing to do, it makes good business sense, says Salud Para la Gente director of community relations Sara Clarenbach.
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Santa Cruz AIDS Projects Faces Massive Cuts
Jun 09, 2009, by Jessica Lussenhop News
Last Friday at the open house for Santa Cruz AIDS Project’s brand new offices, staff and guests were all smiles, congratulations and thank-you’s over the renovation of 313 Front Street. But the truth behind the move was never far from the surface.
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State Parks Key to The Staycation
May 25, 2009, by Bonny Hawley OpinionLast week’s election results accentuate the bizarre circular dynamic of an economic downturn that is driving people to vacation locally at our phenomenal parks and beaches that operate using funds from a state budget that is dramatically shrinking due to in large part to…an economic downturn.
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Healthy Families: A Fraying Safety Net
May 22, 2009, by Jessica Lussenhop NewsGov. Schwarzenegger warned us heads would roll if the May 19th budget package failed, and the Healthy Families program is looking like it may be one of the first.
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Running Meter 3
May 20, 2009, by Meter Maid OpinionA bit of topical doggerel.
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Battling Belief Systems Won’t Be Resolved on May 19
May 12, 2009, by Fred Keeley Opinion
While television ads, political mailings and news coverage of the state’s seemingly never-ending budget battles would lead a person to believe that the election is about ratifying a $40 billion solution to California’s budget problems, it is not that simple
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Watsonville Beauty School Faces Closure
Apr 29, 2009, by Jessica Lussenhop Business
Teresa Rodriguez brushes an orangey-red polish onto a client’s fingernails and says, “I’ve waited years to go to cosmetology school, and then they opened one in Watsonville. It was a dream come true.
