I'll BE Back - WTF - The State Still Has No Budget! and they walked out..

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Submitted by LostCat on July 28, 2008 - 4:40pm

Higher fares, fewer routes subject of RT meeting
By Niesha Lofing - nlofing [at] sacbee [dot] com
Published 8:57 am PDT Monday, July 28, 2008
Regional Transit officials are holding a public meeting tonight to discuss possible fare hikes and route reductions, including one scenario that would eliminate weekend bus and light rail service.

The transit district might impose the changes to help offset a decrease in state revenue.

The meeting will be at 6 p.m. in the RT auditorium, at 1400 29th Street.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's budget proposal calls for a $1.4 billion cut in funding for transit agencies throughout the state. RT stands to lose $18 million in state transit assistance funds, which would "severely impact bus and light rail service," an RT news release states.

If the budget is approved with the cuts in place, it will be the second consecutive year that transit funds have been diverted to the state's general fund to help balance the budget, the release states.

Last year, RT had to reduce bus service by 5 percent to balance its budget as state funding and sales-tax revenue fell.

"RT is at the point where we can no longer absorb this magnitude of cuts to transit funding without increasing fares or implementing service reductions -- or a combination of both," Mike Wiley, RT's general manager, said in a written statement.

If implemented, service reductions and rate increases would be imposed beginning in January.

At tonight's meeting, RT staff will present four service reduction options:

• Discontinue bus routes that operate at less than 70 percent productivity.

• Reduce bus service frequency during peak hours so that no service operates more often than every 30 minutes, and reduce light rail service frequency to 30 minutes all day.

• Reduce bus service hours to 6 a.m. to 8 p.m., down from 5 a.m. to 11:30 p.m., and light rail to 6 a.m. to 8 p.m., down from 4 to 1 a.m.

• Discontinue all weekend bus service or Sunday/holiday bus service and eliminate individual bus routes based on productivity. Discontinue all weekend light rail service.

Rate increases would range from 10 to 25 percent, depending on the scenario chosen.

RT officials also are considering eliminating the Paratransit Group Pass, which allows free trips on bus and light rail systems for qualifying passengers, the release states

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California school districts
Submitted by bsrsharma on July 28, 2008 - 4:59pm.

California school districts ending or reducing bus service for students

Unlike most other states, California does not require districts to provide home-to-school transportation except in limited circumstances.

The high cost of fuel and budget shortfalls are being blamed. But some fear that forcing more students to walk or drive to school will cause safety problems.

Thousands more California students will have to find their own way to school this fall, as districts slash bus routes to cope with budget shortfalls and high fuel costs.

Critics worry that the cuts will increase traffic around schools, shift costs to parents already struggling with rising gas prices and prompt more absenteeism, hurting students' academic achievement. But paramount is the fear that the reductions will endanger students as more walk or drive to school.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-...

State spending is out of
Submitted by equalizer on July 28, 2008 - 6:48pm.

State spending is out of control. Check out graph showing that expenditures have gone from $77B in 2002 to $104B in 2007. Of course the Chinese share some of the blame for causing the construction costs of freeways and schools to skyrocket. And those damn prisons taking increasing toll on taxpayers. (Just send them to Mexico, cut time by a year) What else??

Mish's comments on CA budget.

http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.c...

CA state revenues have
Submitted by EconProf on July 28, 2008 - 9:04pm.

CA state revenues have doubled in the past ten years.
The problem is not inadequate tax revenues.

This is one reason why I am
Submitted by jficquette on July 29, 2008 - 10:09am.

This is one reason why I am reluctant to buy in California since its finances are in such disarray and will get only get worst.

http://www.signonsandiego.com
Submitted by DWCAP on July 29, 2008 - 10:17am.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/state...

-"Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has postponed his plan to eliminate about 22,000 temporary, part-time and contract workers and impose a hiring freeze because of the state budget impasse."

-"The order also would stop most overtime and allow him to roll back salaries for nearly 200,000 state workers to the federal minimum wage of $6.55 an hour."

So, 22000 layoffs and 200'000 just put on the poverty line. Who can live on 6.55/hr in CA? If this actually happens, all hell is gonna break loose. (not that I think it will happen, but it could)

Please dont mistake my above comments to be an attack on Arnie. I totally support him. The state is 6 weeks away from being bankrupt, doesnt have a budget, has tapped its credit lines too much already, and has to fill a 15 billion dollar hole. He has to do something, and the idiots in the capitol building cant make any hard choices cept lets just raise taxes. For all the outraged state workers sure to chew my head off (if there are any on this board) just imagine what would happen in 6 weeks if he didnt do this. What would the state of Ca failing do to the economy, and your job?