WASHINGTON — A divided Supreme Court on Monday allowed the Trump administration to put in place new rules that could jeopardize permanent resident status for immigrants who use food stamps, Medicaid and housing vouchers. Under the new policy, immigration officials can deny green cards to legal immigrants over their use...
Walters: More Entitlements as Economy Slows?
Gov. Gavin Newsom is tiptoeing into a political region that predecessor Jerry Brown purposely skirted — expanding expensive services and benefits that are difficult, and perhaps impossible, to shrink if California’s economy turns sour. They are called “entitlements” and Newsom’s own proclivities and pressure from a very liberal Legislature are...
Walters: Promises Made, but Not Kept
Last month, McClatchy Newspapers and the ProPublica news organization published an investigative article delving into how billions of dollars meant to reduce repeat criminal activity by improving local jails and probation services were siphoned off for other purposes. “Since 2011, California has sent more than $8 billion to counties to cover the costs of the massive...
Walters: Bait and Switch on Pensions
Local officials, particularly those in California’s 400-plus cities, have been complaining loudly in recent years about pension costs, raising the specter of insolvency if they continue their rapid increase. Last year, the League of California Cities issued a report declaring that “pension costs will dramatically increase to unsustainable levels.” The California Public...
668,000 Will Lose Food Stamp Benefits Under New Work Rules
WASHINGTON — Hundreds of thousands of Americans who rely on the federal food stamp program will lose their benefits under a new Trump administration rule that will tighten work requirements for recipients. The move by the administration is the latest in its attempt to scale back the social safety net for...
Walters: Pension Costs Hitting Home — Hard
Stanislaus Consolidated Fire Protection District came into being 14 years ago when four small fire departments serving farms and small towns east of Modesto merged. The district now flirts with insolvency, a case study in how rapidly growing costs for pensions and other employee benefits are clobbering local governments. Four...
US Worker Annual Compensation Slows Slightly Through June
WASHINGTON — The annual wages and benefits for U.S. workers rose in the second quarter at a slightly slower pace than the first, suggesting that the lowest unemployment levels in a half century have not triggered rapid gains in worker compensation. The Labor Department reported Wednesday that pay and benefits...
Walters: California’s Other Fiscal Crisis
Gov. Gavin Newsom and his predecessor, Jerry Brown, have repeatedly stressed the need to build state budget reserves to cushion the impact of the next recession, whenever it hits. Thanks to a vibrant economy, they’ve squirreled away nearly $20 billion in various reserve accounts. When recession hits, however, the state...
Trump Proposal Would Push 3 Million Americans Off Food Stamps
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration on Tuesday proposed tightening automatic eligibility requirements for the food stamp program, a change that could affect about 3.1 million people. The Agriculture Department said the rule would close "a loophole" that enables people receiving only minimal benefits from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program to...
USDA Rule Could Affect Food Stamp Eligibility for 3 Million
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration on Tuesday proposed tightening automatic eligibility requirements for the food stamp program, a change that could affect about 3.1 million people. The Agriculture Department said the rule would close "a loophole" that enables people receiving only minimal benefits from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program to...