The Municipal News page is updated daily with news items that affect area public agencies. You can follow us on twitter @publiclawgroup.
March 13
- CalPERS committee votes to reduce invest. forecast to 7.5% (above recommended 7.25%). Will cost state $167 million/yr
- Fresno Mayor says bankruptcy is not out of the question and asks for concessions from city unions
March 12
- PG&E agrees to pay City of San Bruno $70 Million over pipeline explosion
- Justice Department Strikes Texas Voter ID Law
March 9
- Nonfarm payrolls increase by 227,000. Unemployment remains at 8.3%
- California unemployment rate falls below 11% in January
- California gives $602M to build 11 County jails
March 8
- Causes of Municipal Bankruptcies are changing
- Kings County Supervisors declare drought emergency
- Solano County selects Marc Fox as new HR Director
- Former Marin County Supervisor Hal Brown dies
March 7
- Oakland City Council takes steps to keep A’s and Raiders in town
- State’s borrowing costs for Bullet Train revised upward to $700M per year
- US Worker productivity growth slows in Q4 – does this presage increased hiring?
March 6
- PERB Finds County’s Unit Mod Rule Unreasonable
- El Segundo dissolves fire department – a sign of things to come?
- San Jose Mayor Reed says call for audit of pension system is politically motivated
March 5
March 1
February 29
February 28
February 27
- Palo Alto to declare impasse over negotiations with POA
- US Governors struggle for answers to Municipal Bankruptcies
February 25
February 24
- San Jose and the Elephant in the Room by Steven Greenhut – City Journal
- CalPERS Pension and Health Benefits Committee to review actuarial assumptions used to set employer rates
February 23
- CA Attorney General Kamala Harris enforces privacy standards on mobile apps (Google, Apple included)
February 22th
- Pension reform measure will remain on San Diego ballot in June, Superior Court Judge ruled
- Stanford report on CA pensions finds $137.5B in unfunded liabilities for 24 non-CALPERS agencies
- SanJose City Manager calls for “softening” of proposed pension ballot measure after mediation talks with city workers
- Ron Yank steps down as head of Department of Personnel Administration #DPA after one year
- News Clips from the National Association of State Retirement Administrators
February 17th
February 16th
- IRANC hosting “A Fact-Finding How To” with 3 well-known arbitrators [1130 at Firehouse Restaurant in Sacramento on March 27, 2012]
- San Bruno Mayor – #PG&E delaying settlement over gas line disaster
- Unemployment claims drop to a 4-year low
- Producer Price Index for finished goods rises seasonally adjusted 0.1% in January
- Ethics complaint challenges Orange County city council members’ votes on their own board appointments
- PERB seeks injunction against San Diego’s pension initiative
February 15th
- Sacbee database of police and fire salaries
- California Unveils New Mobile Template for Developers
- San Jose Ethics Commission lawyer finds “no cause to conduct an investigation” of unions’ complaint against Mayor Reed
- Tulare County Brown Act “lunch” case final arguments filed with Supreme Court – decision expected soon
February 13th
- Riverside County reaches tentative agreement with SEIU
- El Segundo Council votes to release City Manager
- President Obama’s proposed budget increases COPS grants to $290M (up from $183M last year)
February 10th
- San Francisco City Attorney investigating Art Institute of California
- San Jose Unions file ethics complaint claiming San Jose exaggerated pension liability
- San Jose responds to allegations of inflated pension figures
- Richmond Police Chief testifies at discrimination trial
- Stockton PD receives $311,000 in grants from CEMA
February 8th
- Modesto Mayor’s race goes to Garrad Marsh
- LADWP – Bloomberg reports on wages
- San Joaquin County unveils bold new health plan for poor residents
- California reportedly signs on to $25 Billion #foreclosure deal
February 7th
February 6th
- Menlo Mayor Kirsten Keith to run for san Mateo County Sup
- San Jose – IBM analysis suggests City police and fire are overstaffed and inefficient
- San Jose – jury rules against discrimination suit brought by former police lieutenant
- Palo Alto – Firefighters spent $124,724 in losing bid to save interest arbitration
- Petaluma seeks community input on Police Chief selection
- Napa County Sheriff takes early retirement
February 2nd
- Oakland names Howard Jordan as Police Chief
- Oakland City Council approves budget cuts
- California State Payroll grew by $500Million in 2011
- Turlock names Rob Jackson as police chief
- Palo Alto retiree medical liability estimated to be higher than expected
February 1st
- LA faces massive ADA lawsuit over broken sidewalks and missing curb ramps
- San Francisco breaks ground on Americas cup cruise ship terminal
January 31st
- High-speed rail loses another supporter in Madera County
- Sonoma County plans new electric vehicle charging stations
- LA District Attorney says County supervisors violated open meeting laws during closed-door meeting with Gov. Jerry Brown.
January 30th
- Costa Mesa top executives to pay 39% pension contribution
- Merced City Council facing tough budget decisions in 2012-13
- Menlo Park may cancel Dumbarton Transit Station project
- State issues layoff notices to 545 employees
- Judge order Oakland to comply with consent degree within 3 months
- Atherton appoints Deputy City Clerk as Interim City Manager
- National Growth accelerates
- Stockton names new police chief
January 26th
- LA Redistricting shakes up LA politics
- San Jose City Council moves to terminate its CalPERS pension
- Cal. ARB to vote on landmark electric car rules
- Oakland – layoffs are topic no. 1
- Menlo Park looks at layoffs in housing division
January 25th
- Mendocino County Supervisors vote on cutting their own pay by 10%
- Gilroy City Council approves election finance ordinance
- Oakland Police Chief to consult with monitor
- Twin Cities PD cuts ribbon on new Police Department
- Mendocino County BOS names new retirement board members
- Napa County revenue outperforms expectations
- San Bernardino Supervisors propose benefit cuts for County elected officials
January 24th
- San Mateo County Supervisors to consider management of Sharp Park
- Occupy Oakland tab reaches $3 Million
- Oakdale – Profile of incumbent Police Chief Lester Jenkins
- Tulare County Supervisors to consider layoffs in Resource Management Agency
- Fox and Hounds: San Jose Council to consider terminating contract with CalPERS, eliminating their own pensions
- Public CEO: State of the Air Report falls short
- Public CEO: City Manager Newsletter
- Local Governments begin test of Super Wi-Fi
- Sonoma County installing new electric car charging stations
- San Francisco Supervisors to hear America’s Cup environmental study appeals
January 23rd
- UC announces that Richmond Field Station is preferred site for consolidation of bio-sciences programs for Berkeley Lab
- Supreme Court: Police need warrant to use GPS tracking on cars – latimes.com
- Atherton Council votes to keep Danielson as City Manager for another year
- Upland projects significant deficit in 2012-13
- San Jose – the link between baseball and pensions
- Stockton closes north area police station
- Petaluma – Residents to be included in search for new police chief
January 20th
- Modesto seeks evaluation of leaving CalPERS
- California’s Unemployment Rate drops to 11.1 percent
- Fresno County braces for three-day strike by SEIU
- East Palo Alto Seeks strategy to address rising homeless population
- Twin Cities Police moving into new state of the art building
- Stockton Mayor unveils details on Stockton’s Marshall Plan
- Merced County’s Registrar of voters settling in to job
- Marin County selects new jobs chief
