Earlier this month we wrote to you about $195 billion in annual spending by California governments on compensation and benefits for public employees but that figure did not include spending by counties, which the Mercury News reported yesterday to be $45 billion per year. That $240 billion is one reason public sector unions work so hard to control elected officials in California. It’s not like collective bargaining in the private sector, where management is controlled by shareholders. When collective bargaining is permitted in the public sector, management — ie, elected officials — can be controlled by politically-active labor, and that’s exactly what has happened in California since collective bargaining for public employees was first authorized in 1968. Services have declined ever since, even as taxes have increased. This is why our next governor must have the guts to take on public sector unions. As we reported yesterday, we have provided a bit of support for one candidate and are evaluating potential candidates on both sides of the aisle. We will keep you posted.
