With all the news of UCLA, UC Berkeley and UC Santa Cruz student protests, it’s easy to forget that UC students aren’t the only ones suffering as a result of the budget failure.
On November 27, the New York Times <a href=”http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/28/us/28brfs-GOVERNOROWES_BRF.html”>reported</a> that Governor Schwarzenegger may owe nearly $80,000 in taxes to the state. If true, this is not a good position to be in for the chief executive of a state that is assuredly bankrupt.
Governor Schwarzenegger applauded the passage of a statewide cap and trade tax Tuesday, lauding the state’s Air Resources Board for drafting “the nation’s first cap and trade program,” according to a statement from the Governor’s Office. This is nothing that the governor should be proud of.
Since word came down from high during the last school year that the University of California and California State University systems would be especially hard-hit with the ailing state budget, leaders in the state and within the CSU and UC systems have been scrambling for answers.
Earlier this month, California lawmakers and Governor Schwarzenegger agreed to a five-pronged “solution” to the statewide water crisis.
In flush times, luxury and abstract pleasures are welcomed, and with good reason: why sweat the small stuff when you’re riding high? During hard economic times and amid debt problems, there is no logical reason to continue spending as though it’s sustainable.
As the California drought goes into its third year, government authorities at last appear to be serious about addressing the situation. Rather than either ignoring the situation completely or paying lip service, it appears that some new water legislation may be in the cards for Californians.
