Posts by Susan Duerksen
The wealth gap and the Millionaires Tax
By Susan Duerksen | February 21, 2012 |
A UT story this morning on the Millionaires Tax proposal to fund California schools referred to “what some see as a wealth gap.”
That’s like saying “some see” the Grand Canyon as steep terrain.
The huge divide between the super-wealthy and the rest of us is a matter of arithmetic, not perception.
- The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development reported in December that the gap between the rich and the poor has hit its highest level in more than 30 years, and the US has the fourth-highest inequality level, after Chile, Mexico and Turkey.
- The top 1% wealthiest households now own almost 40% of our national wealth, while the median household income dropped by $10,000 over 25 years, the Economic Policy Institute reports.
- And in San Diego, Census data analyzed by CPI shows that the poverty rate rose to almost 15% in 2010, while the top 20% of households take almost half of all income in the region.
Those are hard facts.
The proposed Millionaires Tax is sensible and fair, and not just because of the injustice in the rampant wealth inequity.
People who earn more than $1,000,000 a year can easily afford to chip in a small fraction to preserve our schools. After all, they could not have achieved that wealth without an educated workforce – from attorneys and accountants to engineers and technicians. It’s time to pay it forward.
The Millionaires Tax would add a 3% tax only on income above the first $1 million, and an additional 2% on income over $2 million.
A coalition called Restoring California kicked off the signature drive last week to put the Millionaires Tax on the November ballot. It would restore up to $9 billion a year that has been cut from education, elder care, public safety and infrastructure.
To learn more and sign up to help, visit www.millionairestaxca.com.
CPI calls on SD County board to optimize use of new federal health funding
By Susan Duerksen | November 30, 2011 |
Research shows more people uninsured in county, while outreach lags
As residents of San Diego County continue to lose health insurance, County officials could enhance their efforts to bring in federal funding newly available to increase coverage.
The Center on Policy Initiatives is calling on the County Board to re-examine its approach to the federal Affordable Care Act, in light of new research findings:
- Employment-based insurance is declining, leaving an additional 27,000 San Diego County residents uninsured in 2010, and pushing many thousands more into public, taxpayer-funded programs such as Medi-Cal and Healthy Families, CPI reports in The Uninsured in San Diego County.
- San Diego County spends relatively little on the uninsured, compared to other major California counties, and is lagging on outreach and enrollment in preparation for the new federal funding, CPI found in Improving Access to Health Coverage: San Diego County and Federal Health Reform.
“Counties are responsible for providing a healthcare safety net,” said Corinne Wilson, CPI research and policy lead. “The federal government is offering funding to strengthen those safety nets, and that gives the San Diego County Board an opportunity to benefit taxpayers as well as individuals who’ve fallen on hard times.”
As the Union-Tribune reported this week, the County has limited early enrollment in the new Low Income Health Program, instead transferring participants in from another program it opted to close. Because the closed program had broader eligibility standards, the change by the County will leave more people uninsured in the future.
Under the federal Affordable Care Act, which will be fully implemented by 2014, an estimated 203,000 more county residents could be eligible for Medi-Cal and others qualify for additional public programs. However, decisions on eligibility standards and allocating matching funds are left up to county governments.
CPI urges San Diego County officials to gather input from a wide variety of community stakeholders on the best way to respond to the federal healthcare reform opportunities, for the good of community residents as well as healthcare providers such as hospitals and clinics.
CPI statement on City Council decision on Miramar Landfill
By Susan Duerksen | September 27, 2011 |
Unfortunately, San Diego’s City Council has decided to continue with an expensive and misguided process to contract out Miramar Landfill, without any hard data on the potential benefits or costs and despite many red flags.
Councilmembers David Alvarez, Marti Emerald and Todd Gloria are to be commended for their serious consideration of the issue and their support for the public’s best interests.
More than 150 San Diego residents, including individuals and representatives of a wide variety of community groups, took time on a Monday to come to City Hall to express their concerns about the many risks in contracting out the landfill to a private operator.
Most Councilmembers stated before the vote that the landfill is extremely well-run now by city staff, and makes money for the city. As Councilmember Alvarez noted, there is no “real data” supporting the idea of handing over public control to a for-profit operator, and it could well mean “limitless costs to the city for decades to come.”
In studying the issue for more than a year, CPI has determined the risks far exceed potential gains from putting the landfill through the Mayor’s “managed competition” program.
The city cannot escape legal and financial liability for contractor malfeasance or negligence, which could mean lawsuits or fines from numerous regulatory agencies. The need for strong oversight of private contractors and subcontractors adds to taxpayers’ long-term costs.
Highlighting the risks of contracting out needed services to private companies, it was reported that the city has paid $1.9 million to settle a lawsuit by a software contractor it fired because of delays and cost overruns.
Introducing the new OnlineCPI.org
By Susan Duerksen | September 9, 2011 |
We’ve redesigned and updated our website!
Some of the key changes include:
- A new, cleaner look and feel.
- A Key Statistics section, which provides important data at a glance.
- A Campaigns section, with information on CPI’s major projects and advocacy campaigns.
- The Latest, providing news, updates, and commentary from CPI.
- An expanded Issues section, with information and resources on the core topics CPI works on.
We hope you find the new site helpful and easier to use. If you have feedback or suggestions, please contact Xavier Leonard: xaver [at] onlineCPI.org.
Despite new and unresolved issues, Mirama Landfill outsourcing proceeds
By Susan Duerksen | Published in OB Rag | July 13, 2011 |
Despite overwhelming public opposition to the risky and costly privatization of Miramar Landfill, the San Diego City Council’s Rules committee today voted 3-2 to send the controversial plan on to the full council.
A council vote is expected July 25 or 26 on the Mayor’s program to outsource operations at the city’s only public landfill, a process Councilmember Marti Emerald called “folly… throwing money away.” Read More
Outsourcing proceeds despite doubts, risks and unknown costs
By Susan Duerksen | April 28, 2011 |
While admitting to concerns about costs, service quality, risks to public health and more, San Diego officials are moving quickly to outsource six city services.
A City Council committee yesterday sent the draft contract for two of the services – water customer service and street sweeping – to the full Council for a final decision. Read More
San Diego County: Saving for a rainy day during economic monsoon
By Susan Duerksen | April 26, 2011 |
CPI study finds unusually high unspent balance of $2.2 billion
Compared to the 11 other largest counties in California, San Diego County has amassed excessive reserves while scrimping on the safety net services it is obligated to provide. Read More
Rally today to defend workers’ rights and honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
By Susan Duerksen | April 4, 2011 |
On April 4, 1968, King was killed in Memphis, where he had gone to support city sanitation workers in their fight to form a union. Rodney grew up to be a sanitation driver for the City of San Diego and a member of AFSCME, the union that organized the Memphis workers. Read More
San Diego wasted $500k on consultants; more scrutiny needed as quest to privatize landfill continues
By Susan Duerksen | March 24, 2011 |
A consulting firm received $500,000 to handle the botched sale of Miramar Landfill, as the San Diego City Council
learned in a budget revision this week. On the heels of that costly failure, Mayor Sanders has already launched into another effort to privatize the landfill.
CPI is urging the City to adequately evaluate the viability, costs and consequences before continuing the headlong rush to outsource the vital public service.
Greenberg Traurig consultants were hired for $500,000 before basic questions were ans Read More
CPI: We are Wisconsin
By Susan Duerksen | February 23, 2011 |
It’s about power, not the budget. Threats to democracy in the Midwest
The attack on public employees spreading through the Midwest threatens middle-class working people across the nation. Big-money and corporate interests are out to destroy collective bargaining to solidify their control of political and economic life in this country.
The rash of proposals targeting public employee unions (in Wisconsin, Ohio, Indiana and a dozen more states) isn’t about budgeting – it’s about political power – as Nobel laureate Paul Krugman explains and Indiana’s governor admitted yesterday.
The teachers’ and other public workers’ unions of Wisconsin already agreed to Gov. Scott Walker’s demands to cut their benefits. He insists on ending their right to negotiate at all. Read More
