Economy

Gov. Pete Wilson tried to wrest key powers from the CalPERS board. A labor-led counterattack left the board more independent than ever.

What is CalPERS? | Where does the money come from? | How much do employees contribute toward their pensions?

When California lawmakers cut a deal to increase public employee pensions, the state had a very different economic climate. We’ll talk with LA Times reporter Jack Dolan about the pension gap and what he’s learned about it.

To figure out how California got in this situation, it’s helpful to rewind the clock to the late 1990s, back to the days of the dot-com bubble. That’s when the state and local governments chose to make pension benefits a lot more generous. It’s a decision that turned out to have lasting implications.

We are excited to launch a new project about California’s pension debt crisis that is a collaboration between CALmatters, the Los Angeles Times and Capital Public Radio.    In print, online and over the airwaves, this series will explore the consequences of a historic expansion of retirement benefits for California public employees. A series of […]

In civil liberties circles, she is known by the pseudonym of Elizabeth James—a retiree from the phone company who was contemplating a cross-country trip with her machinist husband. The two had worked for decades, raising two children and caring for her developmentally disabled sister, who lived in a home the couple had bought and remodeled […]

Review state measures granting rights, opportunities and protections to undocumented immigrants.   Highlights of state measures granting unauthorized immigrants rights, protections and opportunities. 1996 Prenatal care available for all low-income residents, regardless of legal status. 2001 In-state tuition at public universities approved for undocumented students who attend high school in California for three or more […]

In Sacramento, right outside California’s gleaming state Capitol, dozens of homeless people live on the streets. Here is Debbie Bartley, a grandmother who was one of them until last year. She now ekes by selling a street publication, helping others who still live on the edge. Read more about Debbie’s story here. At the corner […]

The Capitol dome looms over downtown Sacramento, a magnet for money and power. Shiny-shoed politicians and well-dressed lobbyists hustle toward the building where billion-dollar decisions are made. Nearby shops sell fine cigars and custom suits. A bar serves $16 martinis. But the streets that surround this regal building also are home to some of Sacramento’s […]