Some odds and ends we want to bring to your attention as we clear our e-mail and phone messages after 11 days of vacation:
Here's an interesting paragraph from President Barack Obama's speech today, especially when considered against the backdrop of the state's ongoing budget drama and the debate over furloughs and layoffs proposed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger:
For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies. It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break, the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours. It is the firefighter's courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent's willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate.
What do you think Obama would say specifically to California state workers now facing furloughs?
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++
SEIU Local 1000 and the state engaged in contract talks through the weekend, but, the union said,
State negotiators rejected Local 1000's entire package proposal in negotiations on Saturday, upping their demands for concessions to $760 million--the amount they say would be saved by the governor's two day per month furlough order, rather than the one day per month they previously had demanded.
Go here to read the rest of Local 1000's report on the talks.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++
We've heard from state workers that some departments and agencies have already issued two February work schedules -- one that includes furloughs and one that doesn't.
But Department of Personnel Administration spokeswoman Lynelle Jolley said that it's too soon to issue any more details than those outlined in Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's Executive Order, DPA Director Dave Gilb's furlough memo and the Q&A on DPA's Web site.
"We're still meeting with the unions on the impact of the furloughs," Jolley said. "We want to keep an open mind about what can come of those discussions before we finalize the (furlough) details."
IMAGE: President Barack Obama takes the Oath of Office / Sacramento Bee
The Author
About Comments
Reader comments on Sacbee.com are the opinions of the writer, not The Sacramento Bee. If you see an objectionable comment, click the "report abuse" button below it. We will delete comments containing inappropriate links, obscenities, hate speech, and personal attacks. Flagrant or repeat violators will be banned. See more about comments here.