New bid launched for college aid to undocumented students

California Reintroduces Its Own Dream Act
The DREAM Act is back, in California at least. Today Assemblyman Gil Cedillo re-introduced the DREAM Act which would allow undocumented youth who are accepted to college the ability to apply for institutional Financial Aid and state grants from the state’s public universities, state and community colleges. Cedillo’s new strategy is to split the bill in two. The San Jose Mercury News reports that one bill would allow undocumented immigrant Students who are California residents to appl...

California lawmaker revives bill to give undocumented students access to financial aid
A bill that would grant undocumented California Students access to Financial Aid is being revived in the State Legislature this week. The California DREAM Act would allow Students who are Illegal Immigrants to benefit from the same Financial Aid as other California Students attending the state's public colleges and universities. Assemblyman Gil Cedillo, D-Los Angeles, introduced the bill Tuesday based on one he first proposed as a State Senator in 2006. The previous version passed in the state S...

Pass the California DREAM Act
California Assemblyman Gil Cedillo reintroduced a bill today that would make undocumented College Students in California eligible for in-state Financial Aid. Prospects for passage of the California DREAM Act are brighter this year since Governor Jerry Brown said he supported a previous version of the bill, while Governor Schwarzenegger vetoed it three times. As a state measure, the law would have no effect on an applicant's Immigration status, which falls under federal authority. Even so, pas...

Jerry Brown May Rescue Muni
Muni may get a slight nudge from Jerry Brown, but even if it happens, the emphasis will be on the "slight." Brown's new Budget gives transit agencies access to Money that they've been promised for years, but couldn't access under policies enacted by Arnold Schwarzenegger. Even though the State Supreme Court ruled that Schwarzenegger's policies were illegal, he kept trying to use the Money for his own projects instead of for transit riders. Over the last few years, transit service has b...

Illinois races toward cliff
The Lame Duck Illinois state Senate has passed a massive Tax Increase: Quinn smiled and shook hands on the floor of the Senate around 1:30 a.m. after the Senate voted 30-29 for the bill, which would raise the Personal Income tax-rate by 67 percent and the business Income Tax rate by 46 percent. Yes, you read that right. Increases of 67 and 46 percent. “So here we are in the very end of this Lame Duck session on a late night putting more burden on the hardworking people of this state,...

PA DCED Secretary Appoints Recovery Plan Coordinator for Harrisburg
HARRISBURG, Pa., Jan. 12, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development Secretary Austin Burke today named a team, led by the Novak Consulting Group, to be the coordinator for developing and implementing a recovery plan for the City of Harrisburg. The team will begin work immediately. Novak will be supported by a multi-disciplinary team of professionals assigned to address Harrisburg's financial situation. It will include Bob O'Donnell of O'Donnell...

UC Cuts: What Brown's $500 Million Cut Means For UC Budget
California Watch: This story comes courtesy of California Watch. By Erica Perez Just how big is a $500 million cut to the University of California system? Gov. Jerry Brown this week unveiled a Budget that included drastic reductions for the state's public colleges and universities. The plan calls for [PDF] a $500 million cut to the UC, a $500 million cut to the California State University and a $400 million cut to California Community Colleges -- all part of an effort to close a s...

Apocalypse Not: In a World Without the Tomo-Kahni State Historical Park, Survivors Would Envy the Dead
One of the most entertaining things about the state fiscal crisis is that the longer it goes on, the more clear it becomes how useless State Governments are. As California's walking wounded wander the wasteland and resort to Cannibalism in the wake of Gov. Jerry Brown's proposed "Austerity" Budget, the Sacramento Bee attempts to lay out how the damage will impact each and every state resident. If you're worried that the Golden State might have to axe such essential services as the boards of chi...

'Complications' doom Bill Honig's appointment to state education board
Just days after his appointment was announced, Bill Honig has withdrawn from consideration as a member of the state Board of Education, though the former head of California's schools says he plans to remain an influential figure in education. Honig, whose 1993 conviction on conflict-of-interest charges made him a Controversial choice for the state board, said there had been "some complications" with his candidacy. "I'm not going to go into it," Honig said Monday. "I talked with Gov. (Jerry) Br...

Enterprize zones targeted by Brown, angering businesses
Redevelopment supporters aren't the only ones angry at Gov. Jerry Brown over his proposed cuts to programs aimed at stimulating Economic Development in depressed areas: He's also ticked off businesses and other supporters of "enterprise Zones." Supporters say the zones -- which allow Local Governments to offer Tax Credits to businesses that invest in underserved and low-income areas that meet certain requirements -- help create jobs and keep businesses in California. (There are currently 42 o...

With Dems at helm, similar cuts bring less anger
(01-11) 04:00 PST Sacramento - -- The difference between the safety-net cuts proposed by former GOP Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and those offered Monday by Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown can be seen through the eyes of Lucy Beltran. The 67-year-old home Health Care worker estimated she would lose 20 percent of her monthly Salary if Brown's Budget passed. Still, she and others maintain hope that this Governor will listen to their pleas to reconsider. Many of them voted for Brown, or belong to uni...

Gov. Brown strips cell phones from state employees
(01-11) 18:40 PST Oakland -- Gov. Jerry Brown issued his first Executive Order Tuesday, taking aim at a convenience that wasn't in vogue the last time he was the state's Top Official: cell phones. The Governor ordered state agency and department heads to collect half of the approximately 96,000 state-issued cell phones used by Public Employees, a move he said will save California at least $20 million a year. Brown also plans to return his own state-issued cell phone, said Evan Westrup, a spok...

Gov. Brown offers gimmick-free budget, experts say
(01-12) 04:00 PST Sacramento - -- Gov. Jerry Brown promised Californians that his Budget proposal would avoid gimmicks, and Budget experts who reviewed the plan said Brown has mostly stuck to his word. In tackling the projected $25.4 billion Deficit, Brown has proposed $12.5 billion in cuts and an additional $12 billion in taxes and avoided relying on solutions that have little chance of materializing, the experts said. Such gimmicks used to balance the Budget in the past have merely pushed t...

Gov. Brown offers gimmick-free budget, experts say
(01-12) 04:00 PST Sacramento - -- Gov. Jerry Brown promised Californians that his Budget proposal would avoid gimmicks, and Budget experts who reviewed the plan said Brown has mostly stuck to his word. In tackling the projected $25.4 billion Deficit, Brown has proposed $12.5 billion in cuts and an additional $12 billion in taxes and avoided relying on solutions that have little chance of materializing, the experts said. Such gimmicks used to balance the Budget in the past have merely pushed t...

Jerry Brown's tough budget hinges on big if
Gov. Jerry Brown had promised to deliver a "tough Budget for tough times." He kept his word Monday. Brown proposed to close a Budget gap with a combination of $12.5 billion in cuts, $12 billion in revenue. It contained something for just about everyone to hate, as it sliced into almost every aspect of State Government except for K-12 education. As austere as Brown's Budget appeared - shrinking the $92 billion general fund to $84 billion in the Fiscal Year that begins July 1 - it is held togeth...

Gov. Jerry Brown begins wooing GOP support for tax plan
Reporting from Sacramento — Before Gov. Jerry Brown can ask voters to ratify the multibillion-dollar tax plan he says will rescue California's finances, he must win over a handful of Republicans with a combination of charm, arm-twisting and Compromise — a task he's already begun. The Democratic Governor needs as few as four GOP votes to place a measure on the ballot that would extend $9 billion in recent tax hikes — levies Republicans have opposed. "I will … go into th...

California slashes official cell phone use
New California Governor Jerry Brown ordered Tuesday the confiscation of half of the cell phones used by Public Employees in the state, as he slashes its Budget to rein in a huge Deficit. Brown, a Veteran Democrat who took over from Republican former film star Arnold Schwarzenegger this month, said far too many Civil Servants had their Mobile Phones provided from the public purse. "It is difficult for me to believe that 40 percent of all State Employees must be equipped with Taxpayer-funded cel...

Gov. Brown strips cell phones from state employees
(01-11) 18:40 PST Oakland -- Gov. Jerry Brown issued his first Executive Order Tuesday, taking aim at a convenience that wasn't in vogue the last time he was the state's Top Official: cell phones. The Governor ordered state agency and department heads to collect half of the approximately 96,000 state-issued cell phones used by Public Employees, a move he said will save California at least $20 million a year. Brown also plans to return his own state-issued cell phone, said Evan Westrup, a spok...

Calif. state workers: Turn in cellphones
SACRAMENTO, Jan. 12 (UPI) -- Half of California's 96,000 Taxpayer-funded cellphones for state workers must be turned in -- and thousands of cars and vans may be next, Gov. Jerry Brown said. "It is difficult for me to believe that 40 percent of all State Employees must be equipped with Taxpayer-funded cellphones," Brown said Tuesday in ordering 48,000 state workers' phones turned in by June. "The current number of phones out there is astounding," said Brown, a Democrat, who took over last week fr...

California slashes official cell phone use
Stumble This! Los Angeles — New California Governor Jerry Brown ordered Tuesday the confiscation of half of the cell phones used by Public Employees in the state, as he slashes its Budget to rein in a huge Deficit. Brown, a Veteran Democrat who took over from Republican former film star Arnold Schwarzenegger this month, said far too many Civil Servants had their Mobile Phones provided from the public purse. "It is difficult for me to believe that 40 percent of all State Employees must be ...

Public Transit Funding Slightly Better in Jerry Browns Proposed Budget
For the first time in three years, California public transit agencies could see a full dose of funding from the State Transit Assistance (STA) fund, thanks in large part to the passage of Proposition 22, which prevents legislators from raiding Local Government funds, and Governor Jerry Brown, who announced his “painful” Budget plan yesterday. The Brown administration said state funding for local transit agencies would amount to $329.6 million for Fiscal Year 2011-12, significantly mo...

Gov. Brown offers gimmick-free budget, experts say
(01-11) 04:00 PST Sacramento - -- Gov. Jerry Brown promised Californians that his Budget proposal would avoid gimmicks, and Budget experts who reviewed the plan said Brown has mostly stuck to his word. In tackling the projected $25.4 billion Deficit, Brown has proposed $12.5 billion in cuts and an additional $12 billion in taxes and avoided relying on solutions that have little chance of materializing, the experts said. Such gimmicks used to balance the Budget in the past have merely pushed t...

Realtors group supports state property tax cap
Realtors will rally behind a State Property tax cap and campaign against potential increased state and federal charges for buying or owning a house. The new president of the New York State Association of Realtors, Nicholas Gigante, outlined the association's legislative agenda to members of the Jefferson-Lewis Board of Realtors during its monthly luncheon Tuesday. The association supports Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo's proposal for a Property Tax cap, which would limit municipalities and schoo...

Developer, Norfolk abandon lease guarantee for office building
NORFOLK Faced with certain defeat, developers withdrew their request to the City Council on Tuesday for additional incentives to construct a $32.7 million office tower in a low-income neighborhood. The council had previously approved leasing 60,000 square feet in the Midtown Office Building for the city's Human Services Department. However, it balked when Tivest Development asked the city to guarantee taking over 65,000 additional square feet should a private social service organization not be a...

Cooper Foundation pledges to fulfill promise of $1 homes in Camden
The charitable arm of Cooper University Hospital is creating a plan to fulfill an 18-year-old promise to give tenants in a low-income Camden housing complex a chance at homeownership for just $1, officials said Tuesday. "This is our extended community, and I believe it's our responsibility to do everything we can to help them achieve the American Dream," said George E. Norcross III, chairman of the hospital, which is near the housing complex. In 1992, Israel Roizman, a Lafayette Hill d...