Community redevelopment agencies about to become history

As part of Governor Jerry Brown's budget cutbacks, 425 local redevelopment agencies will shut down on Feb. 1. While some legislators want to delay the process or allow local governments to retain unused money for low and moderate income housing, the closings won’t be reversed. "I don't think we can delay this funeral," Brown said, assuring he would veto any attempts to do so.

CalPERS earned just 1.1% in 2011

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 ID a hot topic in state legislatures

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.