It’s about the federal government’s retirement filing facility,
which is housed in an old limestone mine in a small town in
Pennsylvania. Yes, federal employees’ retirements are actually
processed and stored in a big limestone cave. By hand! Pretty cool, right?
I remember a time, not too long ago, when the State Controller’s
monthly report of cash receipts consistently induced shudders,
giving us a collective chance to cringe at just how bad the
fiscal situation was.
In a recent Sacramento Bee, the prolific political writer Dan
Walters discusses
the problem of legislative vacancies and how to fill them,
focusing on a proposal by Senate President Pro Tem Darrell
Steinberg. Senator Steinberg has introduced Senate Constitutional
Amendment 16, which would require the Governor to fill
legislative vacancies by appointment within 21 days of the
vacancy.
I had the pleasure of spending a couple of days last week in
Riverside and San Bernardino Counties to learn about four very
innovative programs. A few weeks ago I spent a Saturday in Tulare
County meeting with teens and learning how one county program is
enhancing their lives. Our communications guru Gregg Fishman has
made similar road trips, traveling to Sonoma and Tehama counties,
as well as a few blocks away to the Sacramento County Elections
Offices. On the horizon we have visits to Mono, Nevada,
Stanislaus and Ventura. The reason?
I went to two events this week that I think are worthy of some
thought and discussion. The first provided some real insight into
how government ought to, and often does work. What I learned at
the second event—well, it is cause for concern for anybody
connected with government, business, or the news media.
Throw a pebble into a pond and watch the ripples—well, if only we
had a pond. The rain that’s fallen on California in the past
several days is certainly a welcome change, but it is not enough
to reverse the ripple effects of the drought. Average rainfall
and reservoir levels are still well below 50 percent of normal up
and down the state. The drought has been so severe it may have
already caused damage that can’t be undone no matter how much
rain we get now.
I am participating in a briefing this week about the drought in
Sacramento.
‘Tis the season of roses, chocolates and love. CSAC’s
research affiliate, the Institute for Local Government, is
looking at such issues in a decidedly
unromantic way on local officials’
behalf.
In a recent piece entitled “Looking for Love in All the Wrong
Places,” the Institute looks at the downside risks of elected
official/staff romances. The article is available to
local officials from the Institute’s website at www.ca-ilg.org/AgencyRomances.
No red wine and candlelight, we are afraid. The article
does, how
There is some rain due in Northern California this week, and
while it will be a welcome end to a record-breaking streak of
winter days with no precipitation, it will not mean an end to the
drought. After two previous dry years, and the extremely dry
winter we’ve had so far, rivers and reservoirs are at roughly
half of where they should be this time of year. The “snow pack”
in the Sierra is virtually non-existent. That may change a little
bit in the next day or two.
There’s an old saying in politics that if you don’t have a seat
at the table, you’ll end up on the menu. I think the meaning
there is pretty clear: If you aren’t part of the process, the
process will eat you up. And so today, when the California
Capitol is already steeped in political theater with the
Governor’s State of the State Address, I have to shake my head in
wonder at the political theater that’s going on outside the
Capitol Building too.
With the legislative session in full swing, this is also the
beginning of the protest season at the Capitol.
How does your county compare to counties in the rest of
California, or the nation, in terms of the economic recovery?”
That question is answered in an interesting and comprehensive
analysis released today by the National Association of Counties
(NACo) that examines the performance of all 3,069 county
economies.
Typically when you talk about water in California the only thing
people agree on is that it’s wet. Other than that, well, it’s a
topic full of opportunities for arguments.
Christmas and New Year’s are over, but this week, there is still
great anticipation among the Capitol community to see what the
Governor proposes in his 2014-15 state budget. For
the first year in many,we are expecting a surplus rather than a
deficit when the budget is revealed this Friday. While that is a
far preferable situation, it still means there will be hard
decisions to make, and, as always, CSAC will be part of the
process.
We already know from the two legislative leaders how they hope to
manage a potentially multiple billion dollar surplus.
Dear CSAC Members and County Colleagues all over California,
Please let me take a few minutes of your time and attention to
wish you and yours a very happy and fulfilling holiday season.
Whatever your traditions may be and however you celebrate, this
is a time of year to be thankful, to reflect on the past, and to
ponder where we are going in the coming year.
When I was sworn in as CSAC President last fall, I declared that
I wanted my term to be known as the “Year of the Child.” I
emphasized that all our actions as an Association and as leaders
in our respective counties needed to be
Congratulations, San Diego and Sonoma counties! At the CSAC
Annual Conference yesterday, both counties were honored for their
sustainability achievements. Each received Beacon Spotlight
Awards for their leadership to save energy and reduce greenhouse
emissions.
