California: University Of California

By Lieutenant Governor John Garamendi

Lt. Gov. Garamendi talks to college students at the CA Democratic Party Convention last month.
© A. Randy Bayne
Nothing has ever come easy to the University of California Merced and that makes this Saturday’s commencement of the first four year graduating class a profound moment for the San Joaquin Valley.
When First Lady [...]

University of California health researchers have found a statistical connection between the proximity of fast food restaurants to obesity among California's ninth-graders and pregnant women -- but have not established a causal relationship.

Results of the detailed study by UC-Berkeley economists were released today, adding fuel to a burgeoning debate over whether the proliferation of fast-food outlets contributes to the nation's obesity problem.

"These findings add new evidence to the debate on the impact of fast-food on obesity," the research report concludes. "First, we believe we have uncovered credible evidence that the availability of fast food has an effect on the obesity rate of teens and on weight gain in pregnant women.

For California education, the topsy-turvy world of state and federal budgeting has been feast or famine – and mostly famine.
But that may be about to change.

Thus far, the precise numbers are a moving target, although by any yardstick the infusion of money into California education is likely to be above $11 billion, according to the National Education Association, and some estimates put the figure higher. The money, roughly half of the $22 billion in federal emergency cash that the state is expected to get, flows from the $100 billion in education funding destined for some 14,000 school districts in the 50 states.

About $9.6 billion of the California  funding is slated to go to K-12 and post-secondary education through 2010.

Welcome to furlough day, that time of year twice a month where state workers take a (government-imposed) break, stopping to smell the roses, think about the good times, and just be.
Scores of state offices will be closed today as more than 200,000 workers take their first unpaid day off in response to California's deepening fiscal crisis.

That means Californians won't be able to take a driver's license test or conduct business at some state office buildings [...]

Among the closed offices will be all Department of Motor Vehicles outlets, Fish and Game, Food and Agriculture, Social Services and the Commission on Teacher Credentialing.

The Department of Mental Health will be closed, but mental hospitals will remain open.