http://www.sccgov.org/SCC/docs%2FAssessor%2C%20Office%20of%20the%20(ELO)%2Fattachments%2FAR%202008%20final.pdf

The county was up overall.

There will be some compromise, taxes will go up, no one will riot, and the CA economy will continue to split between small areas of incredible productivity, and huge expanses of badly run zero.

Question: Does anyone know where you can get property taxes collected for Palo Alto by year? In some areas of California, even under Prop 13, property taxes are going down because there are enough new buyers that falling appraised valued are actually reducing taxes.

Bankruptcy. Then hopefully start back at square 1.

But, steve, you are very welcome!

Are you as outraged as I am about what’s on page 5 of the budget summary (“Consolidation of the Board of Geologists and Geophysicists into a related entity”)?

In 1998‑99, the state’s budget was balanced and projected to remain in balance.
Figure INT‑01 displays General Fund revenue and spending growth since 1998‑99.
As the figure shows, one year later, revenues increased by 23 percent, due to a stock
market and dot‑com boom that drove unprecedented increases in stock option and capital
gains income. These were magnified from a state revenue perspective, because the
state’s income tax system relies disproportionately on the very high‑end earners most
likely to receive such gains.

When revenue growth again surged in
2005‑06, much of the growth was used
to repay loans and backfill for the loss of
temporary cost‑saving steps.

But some think the deep tremors suggest underground stress may be building up faster than expected and may indicate an increased risk of a major temblor.

“We don’t have enough data to know what the fault is doing in the long term”

Yeah, I’m scared now… Did you know that giant locusts may invade the Bay Area next year? We don’t have enough data to know how big they will be or when they are going to invade. But man if it happens…

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_sci_san_andreas_fault

Oh JOY!

Is a social liberal who is fiscally conservative a democrat or republican? And does it really matter?

btw, we shouldn’t ignore the role of gerrymandering, and the complete (for the US) polarization of the parties. are there any moderate Repulicans left?

California state government spent $145 billion last fiscal year, $41 billion more than four years ago when Gov. Gray Davis got recalled by voters. (soure: LAT)

wow. and a flashback to 1984:

Gov. George Deukmejian said today that government in California, which was on the brink of bankruptcy a year ago, will have enough money in its next fiscal year to set aside an emergency fund of almost $1 billion while sharply increasing spending for schools, universities, state employee salaries and … (source: NYT)

so, solutions are possible. finally, this:

Over the past ten years, controlling for inflation, California’s per capita spending has risen by 41 percent, increasing from $3,244 in 1997‐98 to $4,565 in 2007‐08