Tag Archives: california

Business/Economics, U.S.

United Police States of America: Adelanto, California, makes deal with private prison devil GEO, former prison guards still unemployed, prison to be replaced by immigrant detention center

More than one year ago, the city of Adelanto, California, sold their prison to GEO Group.  The Adelanto Community Correctional Facility was being used to house state prisoners.

City officials say they got a promise from GEO that the former city prison guards would be hired.  City officials also thought the prison would be reopened shortly.  One year later those former city paid prison guards are still unemployed.

GEO is remodeling the prison, because it is now going to be used as an immigrant detention center.  It’s been renamed the Adelanto ICE Procesing Center East & West.  GEO wants to start taking in immigrants by August 2011, but doesn’t expect the new detention center to be completed until August 2012.

GEO also runs the Desert View Modified Community Correctional Facility, in Adelanto.  GEO Group is the second largest for profit prison corporation in the United States.  GEO run prisons have histories of violence and sexual assaults.

 

Business/Economics, U.S.

What Economic Recovery? California Fish Farms hit by thieves

California State Fish and Game reports that 1,000 prize game trout were stolen from a fish farm.

It happened at the San Joaquin State Fish Hatchery.  Each fish weighed at least three pounds.

Game wardens are searching fish markets.  The trout sells for as much as $7.00 per pound.  The thieves would have needed a large truck to get away with 1,000 three pound trout.

International, U.S.

March 11 Tsunami picked up on Radar in California

Japanese and California scientists are now reporting they were able to track the March 11 tsunami on radar.  It was the first time a tsunami was observed on radar.

For the past ten years, scientists from California and Japan, have been using radar to track ocean currents. They discovered they could track large tsunamis as well.

The radar did not pick up the actual tsunami surge, but the changes in the ocean currents caused by the surge.  The scientists hope radar could be used as an tsunami early warning system.

 

U.S.

Operation BART: U.S. Media says no transit shutdown, U.K. Media says 4 BART stations shut down, who’s right?

August 16, protestors shut down four of San Fransisco’s BART stations, according to media in the United Kingdom.  Yet the San Fransisco Chronicle says no such shutdown took place!

August 17, the San Fransisco Chronicle published an article titled “No BART protests”.  The article claims that BART service was not interrupted by any protestors: “Tuesday’s commutes were hassle free, despite rumors that more protests were planned.”

Yet, at the beginning of the article it clearly states: “…protesters disrupted yet another commute…” Which is it San Fransisco Chronicle, commutes were hassle free or not?

August 16, the British Daily Mail published an article which states: “Four San Francisco subway stations had to be shut down temporarily last night as the hacker group Anonymous continued its protest over free speech and police brutality.”

The U.K. Daily Mail even has pics.  Clearly, and as usual, the U.S. media can not be trusted.

 

 

Business/Economics, Idaho, U.S.

Government & Corporate Incompetence: Idaho punishes California’s Molina for screwing up Medicaid payments, some health care providers went out of business

Idaho is still trying to get back $10 million in overpayments, that Molina screwed up when they took over Idaho’s Medicaid payment system in 2010.

Idaho officials say they turned over the payment system to California based Molina Medicaid Solutions, to comply with Federal regulations.

The move cost taxpayers big time, and it shut down a few health care providers.

What happened was that at the beginning of Molina’s take over providers weren’t getting paid, for as long as two months!  Many providers came close to bankruptcy, and a few went out of business.

The state made emergency payments, then Molina went and finally responded by paying the original claims.  The result was double payments!

The state of Idaho is punishing Molina by reducing the amount of money they were originally to be paid.  Also, Idaho is trying to recoup the money from the double payments.

Molina has made improvements to their customer service, but as of this year they still have 10,000 claims pending, with just under 5% being more than a month old.  One northern Idaho mental health provider says her payment claims still get delayed for no reason.

 

U.S.

United Police States of America: San Fransisco cuts off cell phone service to stop protesters, proof U.S. authorities are no better than Mubarak or Cameron

“BART officials are showing themselves to be of a mind with the former president of Egypt, Hosni Mubarak.”-Electronic Frontier Foundation

August 11, the city of San Fransisco, California, shut off cell phone service to prevent people from protesting a police crime.

Residents had planned to protest the killing of a man by BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) police.  The man was shot back in July.  Police claim he was attacking them with a knife.  It’s not the first time BART police have shot and killed someone in a questionable incident.

BART officials admitted, on their web site, they shut off several cell towers, to prevent demonstrators from using their cell phones to launch another protest.  On July 11, people disrupted transit service by protesting the killing of the homeless man.

“Shutting down access to mobile phones is the wrong response to political protests.”-Rebecca Farmer, ACLU

BART police say they’re within the law by cutting off cell phone service, however FCC (Federal Communication Commission) regulations say cell customers must be notified “in writing” when their cell service is about to be cut off “for any reason”.

If you’ve lost cell phone service without being notified visit www.fcc.gov/complaints or call 1-888-CALL-FCC.

 

 

Business/Economics, U.S.

The Golden State lacks the Golden Rule: California finally admits high student drop out rate, as early as 8th Grade, all those decades of increased taxpayer funding wasted

California is now the first state in the Union, that admits that grade school students drop out of school as early as 8th grade.  In the latest survey it was revealed that more than 17,000 8th graders quit school in 2010.

Also, more than 94,000 California High School students dropped out in 2010.

Prior to this survey most drop out rate surveys were considered unreliable.  They varied greatly from 11% to 22%.  In 2009 California legislators actually passed a law dictating how the drop out rate survey would be conducted.

To many employment analysts the latest California drop out numbers prove what many employers have been complaining about; not enough high school graduates to fill open positions in California.  And to make it worse, the high drop out rates continued even though more and more taxpayer money was being spent on education year after year.

In fact, in the past the California Department of Education actually worked to keep drop out rates from being made public.

One result of the waste of taxpayer money, and degrading public education in California, was the creation of the Parent Empowerment Law, in 2010.  The law gives parents the right to convert a public school into a charter school, if 51% of the parents of children in that school sign a petition.  An elementary school in Compton will become the first school converted to a charter school under the Parent Empowerment Law.

One commentator in California said it’s ’bout time the Golden State learned the Golden Rule: “What America desperately needs is an educational system that cherishes each child as an individual, that recognizes each child has needs that must be met and gifts that deserve to be nurtured. When families have freely chosen the best school for their children, there is a sense of community, of belonging, even of family, that keeps our kids in school and gets them safely to graduation.”-Alan Bonsteel, San Francisco Chronical

 

Business/Economics, U.S.

What Economic Recovery? U.S. Postal Service slashes retirement for employees, on the verge of insolvency, Congress wants to slash & burn the USPS

The USPS is in real bad shape, much worse than its counterpart Canada Post.

The USPS stopped about $800 million in contributions to its employee retirement plan.  This is an effort to prevent becoming insolvent, over a $5.5 billion employee health plan payment.

Also, USPS Inspector General David Williams, claims they were overcharged $75 billion for the Federal Employees Retirement System plan, and they want Congress to give it back.

On top of that, a bill has been introduced in Congress that would cut billions of dollars from the postal service, by reducing employees (even more than they have) and reducing hours by going to a five day work week (instead of the current six).  The bill is called the Postal Reform Act.  It was introduced by Kalifornian (sic) Darrel Issa.

The USPS lost $8.5 billion in 2010.  The United States Postal Service does not make money off taxpayers, they are solely funded by the postage they charge.  The problem is that Congress controls the postage they are allowed to charge, and so far Congress has refused to allow postal rates to reflect the actual operating cost of the USPS.

Business/Economics, U.S.

What Economic Recovery? California Dreamin’ turned into Hotel California nightmare, yet people are escaping

It’s now official, for the first time since 1850 the number of people moving to California has declined!  People are actually leaving!  That’s according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

California is still the most populated state: 37 million.

According to the Public Policy Institute of California, 1.5 million middle class people left California in the past ten years.  Where are the people leaving to?  Anywhere that the taxes and cost of living are lower than in California!  (mostly Texas, Colorado, Nevada and Arizona)

Immigrants now make up the majority of people moving to California.  But that is on the decline as well.  Why?  Most migrants from south of the border are saying they can’t find any work!  Those that have work say the cost of living in California is not worth it!

The problem now, is that California is becoming a state of extreme wealth and extreme poverty.  According to the American Human Development Project, the exodus of middle class Californians is creating a state of two classes; rich and poor.

From 2009 to 2010, California’s GDP was in stagnation mode; at 1.8%, lower than many other states.  By the way, when the media calls 1.8% “growth” it shows their economic ignorance.  Anything from 2.9% to 0% is not growth, it’s stagnation.

I luckily escaped California in 1997.  I’m now in Idaho, things are getting bad here as well (economically) but I’ve run out of escape money.

Business/Economics, U.S.

Week of Action, Californians protesting bad jobs and budget cuts

“We are in the middle of a recession. We need to get out of the recession by moving forward with good jobs, not poverty jobs.”-Mike Chavez, Labor Expert

California has one of the highest unemployment rates in the U.S.; 12.3% as of March 2011.  In Los Angeles County it’s 12.6%.

State workers are facing benefits cuts up to 30%.  This week Californians are protesting the bad economy, and the state and local budget cuts, in a Week of Action.

“This is the 21st century, we need to go forward, not backward.”-protester