Headlines

In the 2022 midterm elections, pro-labor candidates picked up seats in California and further cemented support for union-friendly policies in the state, but big business and wealthy individuals invested hundreds of millions of dollars in ads for ballot measures, giving them an advantage that unions can’t match.

Campaigns with deep pockets can essentially buy their way onto the ballot by paying petition circulators, or “mercenaries’‘ as critics call them, to gather voters’ signatures. Many come from out of state and earn as much as $8 to $10 per signature.

“Generally, whoever spends the most money tends to win initiatives,” said Ken Jacobs, chair of the UC Berkeley Labor Center.

The tentative agreement covers about 12,000 of the 48,000 strikers.  The remaining 36,000 are continuing to bargain. The strike of academic workers across the University of California entered its third week.  Tensions have especially mounted across the nine undergraduate campuses when hundreds of full-time faculty in the system pledged Monday to join the work stoppage and not teach or submit grades until the strike ends.

Enrollment at California’s community colleges has dropped to its lowest level in 30 years, new data show. The stark decline has educators scrambling to find ways to meet the changing needs of students, who may be questioning the value of higher education as they emerge from harsh pandemic years.

Since pre-pandemic 2019, the 115 campuses have collectively lost about 300,000 students, an alarming 18% drop that portends significant enrollment-based funding cuts if enrollment does not increase.

The CalPERS Board of Administration approved new restrictions Tuesday on how long retired public employees may work without giving up pension payments.

The board set an initial two-year limit, plus extensions, on retired annuitant appointments. The appointments allow retirees to earn paychecks for up to 960 hours of work per year from employers who participate in CalPERS. The limits don’t apply to work for private employers or public agencies that don’t participate in CalPERS.

After back-to-back historic budget surpluses, California analysts on Wednesday projected that Gov. Gavin Newsom and state legislators could be forced to navigate a $25 billion budget deficit next year.

The gloomy projections follow nearly a decade of growth, including during the COVID-19 pandemic. The state was overflowing with cash, thanks to a historic surge in tax collections on incomes, sales and corporations. Now, the state faces a number of macro-economic headwinds, including high interest rates and global stock market woes.

With state revenues already falling below expectations, the state will dip into its education rainy day fund for the first time to cover a projected $2.6 billion deficit for schools and community colleges for the fiscal year starting July 1, 2023, the Legislative Analyst’s Office stated Wednesday in its annual budget prediction.

Schools will fare better than the overall state budget, which the LAO is predicting will face a $25 billion shortfall.

Families who need to prepare for the cold winter months can get a free coat at the Lancaster School District’s free family event, this Saturday.

California School Employees Association Chapter 297, which represents the District’s classified employees, provided between $3,000 and $4,000 worth of coats.

“It’s a huge event, and we’re hoping to get the families out here that need it the most because I know the need is great here,” Rose Juarez, supervisor of Lancaster School District’s Welcome and Wellness Center, said.

About 48,000 unionized academic workers across the University of California’s 10 campuses — who perform the majority of teaching and research at the state’s premier higher education system — walked off the job Monday morning, calling for better pay and benefits. Union leaders say the strike, which began Monday morning, will be the largest at any academic institution in history.