This is actually pretty cool. The LA Times put out an interactive chart that allows you the opportunity to take your stab at balancing the out of control California budget. As you go through the exercise drop some of the numbers and you get a sense of what Arizona is up against. California has a big elephant in the room with their Prop 13 which locked in property taxes on existing homeowners. Arizona has it’s own pesky voter mandated spending which locks in education and other services totaling over 60% of the total budget. The good news is that it’s not Read More
Wake Up Tucson and Tucson Electric Power teamed up to promote TEP’s new Bright Solutions. The new program which launches today encourages Tucsonans to put forward thier ‘bright solutions’ to save energy. View videos from Mayor Walkup, Bishop Kicanas, Congresswoman Gabby Giffords and other local political, entertainment and business leaders - HERE. Read More
The hits just keep on coming over in California. We’ve blogged about it many times before. California is in a mess and working hard to drive out high net worth individuals and businesses of all sizes. Hope those fleeing California are taking a look at Arizona.
From Real Clear Politics, Carol Platt Liebau California’s sales and gas taxes are the highest in the country - and it has the highest vehicle license fees and the second-highest Read More
They don’t call it the Green Room for nothin’
June 29th, 2009 by downtown
The DTDC/Rialto saga has taken another bizarre turn, as the developers of Downtown Tucson Development Company-Don Martin and Scott Stiteler-have demanded the payment of back rent for a small building on Broadway behind the Rialto Theatre used as a “green room” by visiting performers. The amount Read More
Did You Know Through the end of May, Rio Nuevo has spent nearly $118 million redeveloping Downtown. The city has only $25 million left from its $78 million bond sale last December, and $17 million of that is legally obligated through contracts, leaving only $8 million to spend.Come on guys - enough is enough. How to ruin you political career 101. A great top 10 list…. Read More
Antenori and Farley were on Arizona Illustrated back in March (at 9:29) talking about the State Budget. Farley relayed a story about his young daughter coming home one day from school sad over a favorite teacher that had been let go due to budget layoffs. Antenori responded that state cuts to education to date have been minuscule and the real reason for TUSD’s layoffs were caused by 1600 less students choosing Read More
Looks like the city of Tucson’s 2% increase in utility taxes is causing hardships in other government entities. It has reported that the cost to Pima County is $600k plus. The article below shows the TUSD hit is $650k plus (directly from the same budget that teachers get paid from).
We haven’t found direct data on the cost to the UofA, Pima College, Federal Government and the State of Arizona facilities but you can imagine it’s not chump change.
Where does Pima County, TUSD the UofA and the State of Arizona get their revenues to pay Read More
Someone with a video production experience put up a post on AZ Starnet that’s worth a read. The story is on the City of Tucson’s $820,000 journey into movie business. Apparently based on stock footage, video production market rates both locally and from national firms and video editing techniques we could have got the same 15 minute film from local access Channel 12 for just under a grand.
Nothing really surprises me anymore about Tucson’s leadership.
229. Comment by Don Read More
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