SCHWARZENEGGER: "Dear Santa:" …with a cc: to Uncle Sam

from various newsfeeds

Schwarzenegger Seeks Obama's Help for Deficit Relief

BusinessWeek - Michael B. Marois, William Selway - ‎Dec 24, 2009‎

Dec. 24 (Bloomberg) -- California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, anticipating a $21 billion state budget deficit, ...

Schwarzenegger Presses US for More Aid for Needy California

New York Times - Randal C. Archibold - ‎Dec 23, 2009‎

LOS ANGELES — Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has taken advantage of the holiday lull before the next state budget storm to serve notice ...

Schwarzenegger to seek federal help for California budget

‎Dec 23, 2009‎ - Los Angeles Times

Two Ways to Play: California May Ask for Bailout

Minyanville.com - Terry Woo - ‎Dec 24, 2009‎

Specific details aren't out yet but California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger may ask President Barack Obama for a bailout ...

No happy new year for California budget

‎Dec 22, 2009‎ - Reuters

Health care plan may cost too much for California

‎Dec 21, 2009‎ - abc7news.com

Broke, Schwarzenegger begs President Obama for $8 billion. Is a California ...

LA Weekly (blog) - Jill Stewart - ‎Dec 23, 2009‎

Wow, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger just continues to flounder and flub and flim-flam his way through one of the worst ...

Healthy Families/SCHIP: U.S. QUESTIONS CA’s HEATHCARE PLAN FOR CHILDREN OF WORKING POOR

http://bit.ly/6bwjJ0

Program passed by the Legislature in September to keep 700,000 children from losing healthcare coverage may not meet regulatory guidelines, federal health officials say. Eric Bailey in the Los Angeles Times -- 12/15/09

“U.S. health officials say the plan adopted by the state during the final days of the legislative session in September and signed into law by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger may not meet regulatory muster.

“As a result, children's health advocates are warning that by the end of next year, hundreds of thousands of poor youngsters could lose their coverage -- even as the Obama administration continues its push for universal healthcare.”

CALIFORNIA DEBT SERVICE TO SURPASS $10 BILLION, SCHWARZENEGGER NAMES ANA MATOSANTOS FINANCE CHIEF

links from Rough & Tumble

California debt costs to surpass $10 bln-Treasurer

-- California, the largest borrower among U.S. states, may see its debt interest costs nearly double to over $10 billion in 2020, the state treasurer reported on Monday. Lisa Lambert Reuters -- 12/14/09

Schwarzenegger names new finance director

-- Matosantos, currently chief deputy, will take over the Department of Finance helm days before Schwarzenegger delivers his final budget proposal in January, expected to be a cuts-heavy plan to deal with another severe deficit. Kevin Yamamura in the Sacramento Bee Shane Goldmacher in the Los Angeles Times -- 12/14/09

LAUSD BUDGET SHORTFALL NEEDS SOLUTIONS NOT BATTLES

EASTERN GROUP PUBLICATIONS Editorial | Eastside Sun / Northeast Sun / Mexican American Sun / Bell Gardens Sun / City Terrace Comet / Commerce Comet / Montebello Comet / Monterey Park Comet / ELA Brookyln Belvedere Comet / Wyvernwood Chronicle / Vernon Sun

December 10, 2009 -- The first signs of what promises to be a war of words, shouts and picketing has taken place this week in the Los Angeles Unified School District.

The LAUSD school board has adopted a budget the District hopes will help it close a projected $1.2 billion deficit through 2012.

This budget calls for the furloughing of at least 5,000 district personnel. It appears that this time around the threats of layoffs will actually come to fruition. Last spring, LAUSD threatened to layoff as many as 8,000 teachers, but through a combination of cuts in other areas and the use of stimulus dollars, that threat never came remotely close to being acted on.

It doesn’t seem that will be the case this time around, however.

But if it is, and the District really has no plans to layoff workers, then they should not be causing so much uncertainty among District employees and even greater mistrust by the public in the school board’s budget proposals.

Clearly, however, if the budget is anywhere near the dismal financial reality being painted by the District, tough compromises will have to be worked out between the District’s unions and District negotiators. Hopefully it won’t come down to a standoff that will just disrupt our schools and not solve anything.

There comes a time when we all have to accept the inevitable and start working together to come to the least disruptive solutions. Any less, is a disservice to the teachers, students, and the District.