The California Public Employees' Retirement System (CalPERS) announced a disappointing 1.1% return on its investments for calendar year 2011. By its own estimates, it needs to average 7.75% a year to meet current and future obligations for its approximately 1 million members and 500,000 retirees. Some years, like in 2009 and 2010, it did better than the average. But when the real estate bubble popped in 2008, it had severe losses.
Voter turnout in the United States is disturbingly low. In the 2008 presidential election, voter turnout was higher than it had been in a generation, but barely 60% of eligible voters bothered to cast a ballot. In non-presidential election years, the numbers are even worse, with over 60% of eligible voters opting not to vote. Given these dismal numbers, one would think that states across the country would seek to implement policies that would encourage participation in the electoral process.
San Diego, CA. With the beginning of the candidate period on February 13 only days away, the Independent Voter Project (IVP) today released two new guides to help both voters and candidates understand the new rules in place because of the Top Two Open Primary Act (Open Primary Act) that was approved by voters in the June 2010 ele
In 1963 The New York Times began a national edition. As an inveterate reader of newspapers having The Times available in California was exciting (I was then working for the San Francisco Chronicle and living in Marin County).
Muck Rack: Journalists react to Twitter 'censorship' policy
The most–linked and commented item on MuckRack over the past 24 hours has been:
Last night, the GOP candidates participated in yet another Republican Presidential Debate, marking the second and final debate before the Florida primary.
President Obama created the White House Office of Urban Affairs in February 2009. According to the White House, the feds gave insufficient attention to urban America's past problems.The office’s stated goal is to encourage wise urban investment and development that would lead to more employment and housing opportunities by working alongside various executive branch agencies.
Pepper is apparently the new weapon of choice on UC campuses. Tight on the heels of the pepper spray incident at UC-Davis, campus cops last week shot peaceful protesters at UC-Riverside with pepper ball projectiles. The students were protesting increased tuition costs at a meeting of the UC Regents taking place on the Los Angeles-area campus.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi has a challenger in her own district, Republican John Dennis – grassroots organizer for GOP presidential candidate Ron Paul. Dennis will attempt to unseat the powerful San Francisco Democrat using the organizational base of Paul's movement.