Showing posts with label State of California. Show all posts
Showing posts with label State of California. Show all posts

Friday, August 16, 2013

Enterprising N.Y. Observer tech reporter Jessica Roy's latest post is about a sign of our sad times: Online ‘Sextortion’ Trend, the new blackmail, has targeted newest Miss Teen USA; California state Senator Anthony Cannella has bill to deal with this problem there, but what about Florida?



New York Observer 
Betabeat blog
Miss Teen USA Is the Latest Victim in Online ‘Sextortion’ Trend 
Cassidy Wolf says she was contacted anonymously by a hacker who claimed to have nude photos of her.
By Jessica Roy, August 16, 2013 8:58 a.m.

The FBI is investigating a “sextortion” plot involving Cassidy Wolf, who was crowned Miss Teen USA last weekend, according to the L.A. Times. Though an official declined to elaborate on details of the case, including whether or not a suspect had been targeted, the plot is the latest incident in a series of sextortion scandals in which hackers gain access to personal information about a victim and use it to manipulate them into handing over nude photos.

The last time I mentioned Jessica K. Roy, the clever editor of the N.Y. Observer's tech blog, Betabeat, and tech writer for the Observer was my September 18, 2012 blog post titled, Teen girl's despicable revenge plot goes viral -and now comes the backlash to her cyberbullying! New York Observer's Jessica Roy has the scoop on the video from Putin's Russia: "Video of Russian Teens Brutally Bullying Peer Goes Viral. Bullying breeds more bullying"; @JessicaKRoy
http://hallandalebeachblog.blogspot.com/2012/09/teen-girls-despicable-revenge-plot-goes.html

Her numerous previous post on the revenge porn and blackmail phenomenon are at:
http://betabeat.com/index.php?s=revenge+porn

As it happens, there's an AP story about what's going on with a Senate bill in California,
SB255to bring them into the 21st Century, though unfortunately, the penalty is only a year in jail and a $1,000 fine.

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/08/15/3565120/bill-outlaws-growing-problem-of.html#storylink=cpy
http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/08/15/3565120/bill-outlaws-growing-problem-of.html

Bill's text:
http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201320140SB255
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@JessicaKRoy  https://twitter.com/JessicaKRoy

 http://observer.com/  @NewYorkObserver  https://twitter.com/NewYorkObserver


Thursday, May 23, 2013

A fatal flaw for which he'll never recover: lack of gravitas. LA's outgoing mayor was not a full-time mayor or even part-time mayor but more a when-I-get-around-to-it kind of mayor -LA Weekly report proves that Antonio Villaraigosa only spent 15% of his core time on city business

This report, which I originally saw cited via Breitbart News, does not comes as news to me.
I'd heard this from well-informed and reasonably well-connected friends in the Los Angeles area for years.

Frankly, they always wondered why nobody ever tried to get ahold of the mayor's schedule to connect-the-dots via a Public Records request that wasn't geared towards finding out who he was dating -like a TV reporter or anchor.
Well, someone did -the LA Weekly.  

Right, as if his more well-known personal tics, problems and hang-ups weren't enough...

LA Weekly
How L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa Spent His 12-Hour Days in 2012
By Patrick Range McDonald 
May 22 2013 at 3:52 PM 
In 2008, L.A. Weekly obtained Mayor Villaraigosa's official work schedule and discovered that he spent only 11 percent of his time on direct mayoral work. Critics dubbed him "the 11 percent mayor." Four years later, as he leaves office, we revisited his calendar. We found that Villaraigosa is deeply devoted to photo ops, ceremonies and travel, spending just 15 percent of his day on core duties such as deciding upon policy or weighing laws. He spends 42 percent of his working hours traveling outside Los Angeles.
See the rest of the post at:
http://blogs.laweekly.com/informer/2013/05/antonio_villaraigosa_schedule.php

Sunday, March 31, 2013

Crass self-serving political hypocrisy in Hallandale Beach and California is right in front of your nose -open your eyes: Cooper, Sanders & Lewy in HB, Villaraigosa & Yaroslavsky in Calif.; Must-read LA Times article on angry Calif. pols upset with voters for not wanting to increase their own taxes -per failed Measure J transit tax- so pols want to change rules to make it easier to raise taxes in the future; @MayorCooper, @SandersHB, @AlexLewy


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Crass self-serving political hypocrisy in Hallandale Beach and California is right in front of your nose -open your eyes: Cooper, Sanders & Lewy in HB, Villaraigosa & Yaroslavsky in Calif.; Must-read LA Times article on angry Calif. pols upset with voters for not wanting to increase their own taxes -per failed Measure J transit tax- so pols want to change rules to make it easier to raise taxes in the future; @MayorCooper, @SandersHB, @AlexLewy
I know, I know.
When you read a news article that mentions that condescending lawmakers are bitching and belly-aching out loud, and are publicly admitting that they're so angry at voters who didn't do what they wanted them to do that they're willing to change the rules or push for a reduction of the threshold needed for passage of a proposition or state Amendment, when it's actually THEIR very own past behavior, actions or inaction that have resulted in the standard being what it is, it sounds exactly like someone trying to change the rules at halftime, doesn't it?

In fact, it sounds exactly like the sort of angry and vindictive idea that would come out of the small minds of Hallandale Beach Mayor Joy Cooper and Commissioners Anthony A. Sanders and Alexander Lewy in order to get their way, doesn't it?
And it does for a reason.

They actually DID try to change the rules last summer a few months before last November's City Commission election, in order to try to get the results they wanted by eliminating the prospective pool of candidates for that Special Election.

In their particular case, Cooper, Sanders and Lewy tried to change the rules for Hallandale Beach voters last summer to try to prevent Comm. Keith S. London from being able to legally run for the Special Election on January 14th that the Broward Supervisor of Elections had scheduled, in case he lost the mayoral election in November that he had to resign to run for, which he did and which he lost to Mayor Cooper.

They wanted to force candidates for that January 14th Special Election to publicly file before the November election, not in December, using the facile claim that it was necessary to move it up in order to give the prospective candidates enough time to meet with HB voters.

Yes, this was pathetic rationale this group of geniuses came up with despite the fact that Comm. Sanders has for years refused to meet with neighborhood groups after he was first elected. Has refused to even return emails or phone calls from residents of this city who DON'T live in Northwest HB, where he lives.

The very same Anthony A. Sanders who refused to participate in anything even remotely resembling an old-fashioned public candidate debate or forum where he had to defend himself from questions proffered by either the public, the news media or his opponents.
The irony of Sanders doing this was not lost on anyone who pays attention to what happens in this city.

Yes, revealing the true shallow depth of his own hypocrisy, this issue is the very same one that caused Comm. Lewy to verbally browbeat Hallandale Beach residents and malign people's character when they spoke publicly in opposition to what the Cooper Rubber Stamp Crew was trying to do in so naked a fashion.

The very same Lewy the Liar who said that "it's not all about Keith London," even though everyone present knew that THAT was exactly what it was about.

What made it truly pathetic and even more contemptuous, to say nothing of politically self-serving, is that it is the very same thing that has repeatedly happened in lots of other South Florida cities over the past ten years when pols have run for another higher office, including with Pembroke Pines City Commissioner Angelo Castillo and in Ft. Lauderdale with Charlotte Rodstrom, as I wrote here on the blog at the time.

The Herald and Sun-Sentinel's sleepwalking beat reporters for HB were too clueless and ignorant to pick up on that fact and never publicly asked Lewy about that, though they clearly should have.

Those two reporters, Carli Teproff and Tonya Alanez, as well as the four local English-language TV stations, i.e the people who are supposed to ask these sorts of questions, completely failed to ask Lewy the very question that would've exposed his own personal animus towards Keith London and the pro-reform, pro-transparency Clean Government . element in this city that Lewy has continually opposed for many years, since even before his 2010 election:
Why are you NOW proposing this legislation when the city commissions in both Pembroke Pines and in Ft. Lauderdale, cities many times larger and more important in the general scheme of things than Hallandale Beach, have never felt the need to meddle in -and actually try to limit- the choice of prospective candidates for a city election? Why now?

Comm. Angelo Castillo was re-elected in early 2010, resigned to run for the District 8 Broward County Commission seat, and then after losing in the August Democratic primary to eventual winner Barbara Sharief, ran for the special election for his old City Commission seat and was elected.

Comm. Charlotte Rodstrom resigned to run for County Commission in last August's primary and was defeated by Tim Ryan in the Democratic primary in the race to succeed her husband John on the County Commission. This month, she lost the Special Election  to Dean Trantalis for the seat she resigned from last year that she was just re-elected to early last year.

(I mentioned both of these obvious examples to people in the audience at the City Commission meeting where this came up, and other examples were cited to me that I was unaware of.)

But as usual, Lewy never said anything about this political reality that is all around us in Broward County and South Florida and that is common knowledge. 
He had to pretend that he was doing something positive for HB residents when the reality is that he was merely trying to get his way.
That's what it's always about with Alexander Lewy.

Not actually providing genuine oversight and financial scrutiny over questionable policies and loans involving tax and CRA dollars, to make sure that they are not wasted and squandered, and not resolving longstanding problems within the city's chaotic and undisciplined workforce, but in Lewy getting his way.

Similarly, the quotes you see in the Los Angeles Times article below from this morning are exactly why despite all the glowing Beltway hype about the mayor of Los Angeles, Antonio Villaraigosa, he is not really a viable national candidate in the future.
He, too, is much more interested in getting his own way, despite what the voters think, than accepting that a political defeat might just mean that he is actually wrong about something, as per this:.

Los Angeles Times
LA NOW blog
Measure J, L.A. County transportation tax extension, fails
November 7, 2012 |  8:00 am
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2012/11/measure-j-la-county-transit-tax-extension-fails.html

The take away, to quote Times reader Tom Allen: "It's high time that transportation spending proposals are proposed as very short term and with specific projects in mind instead of blank checks..."
Exactly.

Villaraigosa is not just the Left Coast face of corporate spin with a Hispanic surname, but someone that disappointed a sizable portion of his very own past supporters and actually accomplished little of note while in office, often because he squandered opportunities to the right thing almost always as a result of his own over-weaning ambition and ego. 
(Yes, very Lewy-like.)

It's also Villaraigosa's great misfortune in California right now to also be the face of a certain kind of patronizing, know-it-all Democratic politician who always wants to tell other Americans how to live their life.
And if HE finds it necessary to get his way, to tax them over-and-over in the process. 

His glibness and desire to be liked can't hide those central facts because that's his actual record.
His own comments about taxes in today's article just serve to remind us of that reality he can't escape

Antonio Villaraigosa is, in fact, one of the main reasons that SO many well-educated voters in LA County said NO on Measure J, the ostensible subject of the LA Times article I spotted early this morning a few minutes after it it was first posted online.

It certainly wasn't any accident that J failed to get the numbers he wanted it to get in affluent areas of LA County, as that was something that I expected on Election Day, since I already knew it here, thousands of miles away, based simply on the number of friends living in those affluent areas who told me that NO was the prevailing sentiment among their own pro-transit family members: that it was a bad plan.
Just because it was a transit plan, didn't mean it was a good transit plan.
Why lengthen by ANOTHER thirty years a thirty-year half-cent tax that was barely approved four years ago in 2008? Especially when you have no idea how well the money already committed will actually be spent?
Really, approving that tax until 2069 and essentially making it permanent is your plan? 

But you couldn't really expect the LA Times to say that in print, then or now, now could you?
Especially since they endorsed it and have a lot riding on Villaraigosa's political future. 

The newspaper desperately needs for California to have a viable candidate for national office in the near-future, and if it isn't Villaraigosa, they're really left with no winning cards to play, esp. as far as the Hispanic Voter gaining clout angle that they have aggressively been pushing and the identity politics they've been propagating for years.

Without him they'd have to admit that California is now currently so Democratic Blue, the reality is that it will likely play no role in the foreseeable presidential campaigns, except for fundraising purposes, and that is NOT something they want.

Though it may be hard for most well-informed people in South Florida to believe, at this point, the LA Times has even more riding on Villaraigosa than the Miami Herald has riding on their up-and-down love/hate relationship with Senator Marco Rubio.

-----
Los Angeles Times
Minority of L.A. County voters quashed transit tax extension
Measure J fell just 0.6% shy of the required two-thirds approval as support fell in upscale enclaves. Some politicians are pushing to cut the requirement.
By Ari Bloomekatz and Ben Poston, Los Angeles Times
March 31, 2013, 5:00 a.m.

A minority of voters living in a daisy chain of small, suburban and relatively upscale enclaves around the county's outer rim were largely responsible for last fall's razor thin defeat of a $90-billion transit tax that received lopsided ballot box support, a Times analysis shows.
The review comes as several of Los Angeles' senior politicians have joined state lawmakers to push for a reduction of the threshold for passage of such measures, arguing that the current two-thirds requirement is undemocratic and hinders the region's growth.

Read the rest of the article at:

Sunday, November 27, 2011

While High Speed Rail advocates met in NYC re Northeast Corridor, more troubling financial data re proposed LA-SF Bullet Train emerged -boondoggle?

USHSR's 2011 Conference in New York City

Even while High Speed Rail advocates met in New York recently to discuss their hopes and dreams for the service in the Northeast Corridor, Adam Nagourney of the N.Y. Times has just revealed even more troubling financial details about the possible coming boondoggle with California's San Francisco-to-Anaheim Bullet Train, which I suspect most of the country outside of Cali is still largely ignorant of, despite its eventual ripple effects across the country, good and bad.

According to the Sacramento Bee, the California High Speed Rail Authority still plans to begin construction in September!

Train Wars Teaser - High Speed Rail in California


California High Speed Rail video

I've been reading about all its myriad controversies for months in the L.A. Times, and all things considered, their coverage has been pretty spot-on, and NOT nearly as sycophantic as certain Florida newspapers and pols I could name who were supportive of a supposed Bullet Train between Orlando and the Tampa Bay area, which Gov. Rick Scott was rightly opposed to.

Though I'm a strong pro-transit advocate, given my dozen of blog posts here on the subject of transportation over the years, especially the desirability of a commuter line on the F.E.C. tracks near U.S.-1, from downtown Miami to Palm Beach County, thru the most-densely populated parts of South Florida, I was always against that particular line in Central Florida.
It made no sense and couldn't possibly be successful because the distance was too short given the driving alternative.

See Jacksonville Transit blog's well-reasoned post of June 12th about why HSR failed the smell test in Florida: GOOD REASONS TO KILL FLORIDA HIGH SPEED RAIL

I've always suspected -and said on other transit blogs- that the line that would likely get the Obama money to proceed would likely be one between Chicago and St. Louis.

How's this for the beginning of a very expensive trip?
"The pro-train constituency has not been derailed by a state report this month that found the cost of the bullet train tripling to $98 billion for a project that would not be finished until 2033..."
New York Times
California Bullet Train Project Advances Amid Cries of Boondoggle
By Adam Nagourney
November 26, 201
SACRAMENTO — Across the country, the era of ambitious public works projects seems to be over. Governments are shelving or rejecting plans for highways, railroads and big buildings under the weight of collapsing revenues and voters’ resistance.

Read the rest of the article at:

The Nagourney article follows by a few days an excellent, eye-opening story by Ralph
Vartabedian in the LAT that delves into the social and cultural problems associated with constructing the line thru several parts of Cali that are firmly opposed to it and have the financial means and the will to push back hard, namely, the Central Valley agriculture belt.
The folks who grew and cultivated many of the items in your kitchen right now.

Los Angeles Times
California bullet train: The high price of speed
Its proposed route would destroy churches, schools, homes, warehouses, banks, medical offices, stores and much more.
By Ralph Vartabedian, Los Angeles Times
October 22, 2011, 6:03 p.m.

Reporting from Bakersfield— Since it opened in 1893, Bakersfield High School has been the pride of this city and its academic cornerstone, the place where the late Chief Justice Earl Warren graduated and students call themselves the Drillers in homage to the region's oil patch.

It has withstood earthquakes and depressions, but perhaps it will not survive the California bullet train.
Read the rest of the article at:


Los Angeles Times
LA NOW blog
Cost projection for California bullet train jumps to nearly $100 billion
By Ralph Vartabedian
October 31, 2011 10:06 pm
California's bullet train will cost an estimated $98.5 billion to build over the next 20 years, an amount far higher than any previous projection, according to a business plan scheduled to be unveiled Tuesday.


Los Angeles Times
Opinion LA blog
California's bullet train: Boondoggle or boon?
By Dan Turner
November 3, 2011 3:35 pm
Californians seem to fall into two camps when it comes to the state's multibillion-dollar high-speed rail project, with those on one side (typically fiscal conservatives) seeing it as a massive waste of taxpayer money while those on the other (typically liberals) think it's a visionary, environmentally responsible solution to our state's transportation problems.
Read the rest of the post at:

Read the readers response to that post at:


The most recent financial news predicate for much of this debate can be read here:
Congress About to Kill High-Speed Train Program
By JOAN LOWY Associated Press
WASHINGTON November 17, 2011 (AP)

-----

California High Speed Rail Authority: http://www.cahighspeedrail.ca.gov/

California High Speed Rail's YouTube Channel:

USHSR's YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/USHSR


HighSpeedRailDoc's YouTube Channel:


Wednesday, August 4, 2010

While Florida gubernatorial candidates talk about re-inventing the wheel, Meg Whitman says innovation, technology will be key to California's success


Meg Whitman 2010 campaign video: Meg Whitman says innovation, technology will be key to California's success  http://youtu.be/S34aTv7wNdY



Now THIS is how you make a political video that appeals to the common sense of intelligent and well-informed people who always vote: you're honest about the current economic reality and describe a plausible scenario for changing things for the better, not spouting condescending nonsensical generalities about how the economic future of the state is sunshine.
Please!


The contrast in intellectual heft and strategic focus between this
Meg Whitman video and the dim-witted TV political ads and website videos coming out of Florida could hardly be greater, and from a Florida voter's perspective, hardly more dispiriting.

I last wrote about the contrast between the gubernatorial candidates in Florida and California on July 25th:
http://hallandalebeachblog.blogspot.com/2010/07/with-99-days-til-election-day-politico.html

I've got some blog posts coming up soon about the alternative energy approaches of
Alex Sink, Bill McCullom and Rick Scott, and to say that they are vague and unfocused is a gross understatement.
Even worse from my perspective, Sink's approach, as distilled from reading her own website and several environmental websites and blogs, seems to unduly rely on Washington largess, which is to say that she thinks that D.C. will simply give money to Florida so that pols in Tallahassee can pick-and-choose some economic winners in the alternative energy industry.

I'm going to go out on a limb(!) and say that kind of politics-as-usual approach would enrich friends, family members, past supporters and cronies of the elites in Tallahassee, but NOT the entrepreneur in South Florida that has an innovative business plan that satisfies consumers and will make money within three years, and won't be dependent on government subsidies for its sheer existence.

That's not a constructive strategy to create well-paying jobs and a viable industry, esp. in South Florida, but is sweet music to lobbyists, who will once again say that local and county govts. need them to do their magic in Washington, with taxpayers footing the tab.


We don't need more taxpayer-funded lobbyists in Washington, we need more high-tech jobs in Florida that are based on the free market system of providing a desired service to consumers at a price they deem reasonable enough to use.


If you doubt what I'm saying about the contrast in quality of the candidates for governor between California and the three currently running in Florida, simply go to Whitman's campaign sites for yourself and see what's there. They are well-designed, easy to navigate and full of useful information presented in an attractive manner that isn't a confusing mishmash of images.

Which is to say, that her sites are the exact opposite of the
Miami Herald and South Florida Sun-Sentinel's websites, which are uninviting jumbled messes that seem to have no logical rhyme or reason other than to send you involuntarily to one of their sponsors.


Meg Whitman's got a damn impressive resume that's based on integrating innovative ideas and the ability to give consumers a product they find useful; has the right kind of personal temperament to handle the ups-and-downs of the office she's seeking; and has the demonstrated ability to create enthusiasm among others for her ideas and policies. Plus, quite clearly, she has some very smart and creative people around her to advise her, not the usual political retreads.

Your homework assignment is to compare and contrast Whitman with candidates from Florida.


Official
Meg Whitman campaign website
:
http://www.megwhitman.com/index.php

Meg Whitman
campaign YouTube Channel:

http://www.youtube.com/user/Meg2010Campaign

Saturday, February 21, 2009

Government Reform in California and Gov. Charlie Crist's 2009-10 Budget and Policy Recommendations

Meant to post this last night after receiving it earlier in the day via the governor's occasional email, but had to get some sleep in order to be at the Transportation Summit up in Fort Lauderdale this morning at 8 a.m.  (I'll have more on that event on Sunday, along with photos.) 

Contrary to popular understanding and myth, or should I say 'misunderstsnding,' the word crisis in Chinese is actually NOT the combination of the characters "danger" and "opportunity."

That said, in California, according to yesterday's Los Anglese Times, the depth of public anger at the crisis in Sacramento over the state budget may well represent an excellent opportunity to get some much needed reform there, especially in limiting the power of partisan ideologues, by initiating "open primaries" for state legislative races.

See Ezra Klein's thoughts on the likely results of such an effort at The American Prospect:

Personally, I would greatly welcome such a reform-minded effort here in Florida -along with the passage of Lesley Blackner's Hometown Democracy effort which I've previously supported, see
http://www.floridahometowndemocracy.com/home2.html -as I believe they would greatly strengthen the hand of moderates in the legislature and begin to weaken the grip of conservatives and liberals from ridiculouly uncompetitive 'safe' districts, who rarely, if ever, have to be anything close to real Profiles in Courage, either in Tallahassee or back home in their districts.

The logical results of such skewed demographics and pandering to the base have been apparent across the state from Appalachicola to Aventura for quite some time.
I mean did you really think it's just a huge coincidence that the state is such a laughingstock nationally in so many areas?
Garbage in, garbage out. 

California's budget fiasco legacy could be reform
After the panic and embarrassment of the fiscal near-disaster, observers see an opportunity to finally fix how state government works.
By Michael Rothfeld and Eric Bailey
__________________________


 
February 20, 2009
 
Dear Friends,
 
Today, I unveiled my budget and policy recommendations for the 2009-10 fiscal year. My 2009 legislative priorities are aimed at investing wisely so that we can move Florida’s economy forward. These budget and policy proposals will make our classrooms world-class so that we train the best workforce possible. They will keep our air clean and diversify our energy. They will lower property taxes and ensure fiscal responsibility in local government. And they will help businesses thrive so they can create and retain the jobs that we need, now more than ever, to fuel our economy.
 
There is no doubt; these are historic times of economic challenge for our nation and for our state. But I believe that there are better days in store for Florida. Times like these provide a unique opportunity for elected officials to make government better, more efficient, and more accountable.
 
In developing my recommendations, my highest priority is to avoid further deficits – yet continue to move Florida’s economy forward. Now more than ever, we must create jobs for the hard-working people of Florida. Second, we must continue critical services to Florida’s most vulnerable – our children, elders, and persons with disabilities. And we must continue our investment in Florida’s classrooms and hard-working teachers, in public safety and in health care. The taxpayers of Florida deserve nothing less.
 
The $66.5-billion budget I propose includes $4.7 billion in federal stimulus dollars for 2009-10 from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Without these funds, we would have had to tighten our belts another $3.4 billion. My budget proposal reflects Florida’s greatest needs – allocating $25.2 billion to Health and Human Services, $21.5 billion to education, and $10.3 billion to transportation and Economic Development. I also maintain my commitment to public safety, with $4.9 billion that will help keep criminals off the streets and our neighborhoods safe.
 
My recommendations include a significant increase in per-student funding: $183 more per student, for an average of $7,044 per student. That is increase of 2.67 percent over the current fiscal year.  The money we set aside for schools must be spent wisely. I want to thank Representative Robert Schenck and Senator Alex Diaz de la Portilla for supporting legislation requiring our school districts to spend a minimum of 70 percent of operating funds on direct classroom expenditures benefiting students.
 
Strong universities are vital to creating the competitive workforce that will keep Florida’s economy vibrant for generations to come. I thank Senator Ken Pruitt and Representative Will Weatherford for supporting legislation that will clarify university governance and provide more teaching resources for Florida’s 11 universities -- while maintaining access and affordability for students and families. Under the proposal, each board of trustees may adopt a tuition differential beginning in fall 2009, with Board of Governors approval. Overall tuition cannot rise by more than 15 percent a year, and 30 percent of the revenues must go to need-based student financial aid.
 
Despite the economic challenges facing Florida, the Sunshine State has been recognized as a national leader in terms of our greatest resource – our workforce. To continue supporting Florida’s workforce, I recommend $2 billion in workforce initiatives, including over $800 million for career education and employment services that will create or retain 3,000 jobs. I also recommend $621.2 million for school readiness. This investment is expected to create or retain more than 12,800 jobs for child-care providers.
 
Continuing my commitment to public safety, I recommend $4.9 billion to maintain support for Florida’s increasing prison population and continue programs that reduce recidivism, prevent juvenile crime and keep violent criminals off the streets. My proposed budget also maintains funding to support local law enforcement agencies.
 
We must make every effort to preserve direct health care services to our children, our elderly, and our disabled populations. I am recommending an increase of $45 million for cash assistance and food stamps for families and their children, and $52 million to support an additional 46,000 children in the KidCare program.
 
We must continue our efforts, started in August with Accelerate Florida, to maintain Florida as a friendly place to do business. I am urging the passage of legislation sponsored by Senator Don Gaetz and Representative Trudi Williams that streamlines and reduces burdensome licensing requirements for contractors and other professionals.
 
Now more than ever, as families are faced with economic challenges, we must reduce the tax burden on Florida homeowners and business property owners. I propose a set of reforms that build upon previous legislation resulting in the largest property tax cut in state history.
 
I support the proposed constitutional amendment sponsored by Senator Evelyn Lynn and Representative Carl Domino that encourages homeownership and enhances the tax savings provided by Amendment One. It further reduces the growth cap on non-homestead residential and commercial properties from 10 percent to 5 percent. The amendment also grants a 50 percent exemption, up to $250,000, to homeowners who previously have not owned a home in Florida.
 
Legislation sponsored by Senator Mike Fasano and supported in the House by Representative Marcelo Llorente protects Florida homeowners from having to pay more in taxes when market values are declining. The proposal repeals the automatic three percent increase on the assessed value of homesteads when their market values decrease. In addition, legislation sponsored by Representative Carlos Lopez-Cantera provides fairness for property owners who challenge the property appraiser’s assessment of their property value.
 
Local governments, like state government, must be accountable in how they spend taxpayer dollars. Legislation sponsored by Senator Mike Haridopolos and Representatives Dean Cannon and Anitere Flores keeps our local governments accountable by limiting increases in local revenues to inflation and growth, based on the value of new construction. Only through super-majority votes by governing bodies can revenues increase by more than the cap.
 
I again call on the Florida Legislature to quickly approve the 25-year compact between the State of Florida and the Seminole Tribe of Florida. Over time it can provide billions of dollars to Florida’s schools – with $150 million guaranteed in 2009-10 alone. The tribe also reports the compact can create 45,000 new jobs. I am also encouraging the Legislature to support SunRail, the proposed 61-mile commuter rail system that would serve Orlando and Orange, Seminole, Volusia and Osceola counties.  A recently released economic impact study found construction and operation of the commuter rail project will infuse more than $1 billion over the next 30 years into Florida’s economy and create more than 13,000 construction and operations jobs.
 
I look forward to working with the Legislature on these proposals. Together, we can put in place new laws that strengthen our economy and make life better for Floridians. May God continue to bless the great state of Florida for now and into the future.
 
  
 
 
 
Click here to see the Governor's video message: http://www.clickcaster.com/charliecrist