In the 1970s, California’s legislature was described as “the finest in the world” because of the expertise, diligence, and collegiality exhibited by its members. The opinion of the CA legislature, however, has undergone a stunning decline in the last 30 years. A recent Public Policy Institute of California poll found that the job approval ratings […]

California’s pay over $45 billion in property tax each year — typically the largest source of local, general purpose revenues. More than 60 years ago, the Legislature established a process in which a city or country could declare an area “blighted” and in need of redevelopment. When that happened, most of the property tax revenue […]

Agriculture is an essential part of California’s economy. Each year, billions of dollars in products are created in California and the San Joaquin Valley in the undisputed food capital of the California. While farm employment continues to decline due to innovation and mechanization, developing an “Ag Value Chain” — which includes the support, production, processing, […]

As U.S. and California students’ test scores fall behind in the world, the education reform debate has heated up. The public school system was established as a crucial part of our nation’s democracy, which granted all children the same opportunity to learn and succeed. In this sense, public education is the great equalizer, but not […]

According to the Public Policy Institute of California, California educates more than 6 million kids in its public schools. Many of these children are economically disadvantages and many are not native speakers. Despite these challenges and years of constrained budgets, test scores have been rising. Further improvement will be challenging given the budget situation, the […]

California educates one-eighth of all students in the US, but it is ranking in the bottom of all the states in terms of math and reading, which helps explain why our students are not competitive internationally. California has tried to improve schools through detailed regulations, categorical spending programs, and a virtually undecipherable financial system. In […]

California has one of the highest rates of uninsured people in the nation. Supporters of the federal health care reform law say that, if done wisely, it could result in covering more than 80% of California’s uninsured. What impact will federal health care reform have on MediCal and the State budget? What impact will it […]

UC Merced Chancellor, Dr. Dorothy Leland and California State University, Fresno, President Dr. John Welty, discuss the many costs and cutbacks affecting higher education. ORIGINAL AIR DATE: APRIL 19, 2012