I'll be on Ron Smith's great show on Bal-more's 1090 AM, luxuriating in the glorious mess that is my native state. You can listen live (all day, if you want!) at this link.
In the meantime, another fun story of Golden State political dysfunction:
Los Angeles Councilman Bernard Parks, City Hall's budget committee chief who is warning that soaring payroll and pension costs threaten the city's financial stability, receives $22,000 a month in city retirement benefits, in addition to his $178,789 a year salary, records and interviews show.
A former Los Angeles Police Department chief who served 38 years on the force, Parks operates in a sensitive political role, heading the key council panel that has grappled with a recession-driven $530-million budget shortfall.
While collecting one of the city's biggest pensions—about $265,000 per year—plus a hefty city salary, he has overseen a contentious debate about which services and jobs to cut.
"I don't discuss my salary or my pension and I earn both of them," Parks said in a brief phone conversation.
Jon Entine scared us all about the impending pension nightmare back in February.
