If state cuts too deep, it loses stimulus funds Gov. proposes selling L.A. Coliseum, other properties to raise cash

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger wants to sell the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, San Quentin State Prison, the Orange County Fairgrounds and other state property to raise cash amid the state's growing fiscal crisis, according to a copy of a proposal reviewed by The Times.

George Skelton: Schwarzenegger to lay out ugly options for voters
The governor will tell voters not to squawk if they reject the budget proposals Tuesday and draconian program cuts ensue.
From Sacramento -- Normally it's called the "May Revise." But what Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger will unveil today is a "get out of jail free" card for himself and legislators.

Campaign for budget measures struggles to appeal to voters
 In the final sprint to Tuesday's election, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has warned day after day of teacher layoffs, fire-station shutdowns and other dire consequences if voters fail to pass budget measures that would produce almost $6 billion to ease California's fiscal crisis.

Caltrans officials steered contracts to firm where former colleague works
State transportation officials steered $29 million in contracts to a company at which one of their former colleagues is an executive, raising questions about favoritism in the purchasing process, according to a legislative report released Wednesday.

3 California counties will check immigration status as inmates enter jail
Los Angeles, Ventura and San Diego will become the first counties in California to begin checking the immigration status of all inmates booked into jail as part of a national effort to identify and deport more illegal immigrants with criminal records.

CSU trustees approve 10% hike in student fees
California State University trustees Wednesday approved a 10% increase in undergraduate and graduate student fees for the coming school year, with one board member saying it was the only way to absorb deep funding cuts without turning away thousands of students and eliminating teaching posts.

California treasurer asks U.S. to backstop state borrowing
California Treasurer Bill Lockyer on Wednesday formally requested federal help to backstop a wave of short-term borrowing the cash-strapped state will need to undertake this summer.

Opinion: California's fiscal crisis is about to hit home
If the budget propositions fail, Sacramento may force local governments to hand over property tax revenue used for everything from keeping us safe to cleaning our streets.
If budget ballot measures fail, governor may release 38,000 prisoners
On Jan. 10, 2008, it was 22,000. This past New Year's Eve, it was 15,000. Two weeks ago Friday, it was 8,000.

California prisons allow visiting to resume after flu scare
Visiting can resume on Friday at California prisons, because the H1N1 flu has turned out to be milder than initially feared, corrections and prison health officials said Wednesday.

Cal-OSHA criticized over reduced fines
The head of California's worker safety program told legislators Wednesday the agency's Appeals Board didn't always do the right thing when it slashed fines against businesses whose workers died of heat stroke in recent years.

California asked to triple new-home tax credit
Surprisingly strong demand for a $10,000 state tax credit to help Californians buy new never-occupied homes prompted legislation Wednesday to triple the amount of funds for the buyer credit to $300 million.

Timing of Schwarzenegger budget release questioned
When California lawmakers plugged the state's deficit in February, they gave Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger a little wiggle room to release a new budget.

Special election turnout may be record low
Voters in Tuesday's statewide special election on the state budget are likely to be an exclusive group, with a turnout that could be among the lowest ever in California, officials said Wednesday.

PG&E expands solar power plans
California's big plans for solar power keep getting bigger.

On California's Foster Care System
In many cases, the creation of a "blue ribbon commission" is an excuse to delay action on a difficult issue. One very welcome exception has been the California Blue Ribbon Commission on Children in Foster Care, which has been producing results even before it issued its final report this week.

Persistent myth
Proposition 1A is not a hard spending cap
On Feb. 25, the respected, nonpartisan Legislative Analyst's Office released its analysis of the six propositions to be voted on in next week's special election. The most important measure, Proposition 1A, would extend recently adopted temporary tax hikes for two more years at a cost of $16 billion and require that some incoming revenue during boom years be diverted to a “rainy-day” fund for use in down years.

State can't afford Proposition 1A
California’s unemployment rate is at an all-time high of 11.5 percent with 62,000 jobs lost in March. That means 1 out of 9 Californians is out of work. Unfortunately, bad news for the unemployed does not stop there. With Proposition 1A on Tuesday’s ballot, there is a chance that even those without jobs will be forced to pay more in new taxes.

Prison assist?
President Barack Obama is wrong to shirk financial responsibility for the illegal immigrants in California's state prisons and local jails. Immigration oversight is a federal duty, and Washington should pay for the consequences of its border policies.