Fresno City Surplus!?!?!

The City of Fresno has a $4.5 Million dollar surplus. That is a lot of money! Today Mayor Autry announced his plans for all that money. Instead of spending that money why don't we reduce the sales tax or pay off on some of those many bonds that we owe as a city? Some of that is my money and I want it back or used better.

FYI Goes Solar

So some of you may have heard that Fresno Yosemite International has had a major solar panel instillation. I am intrigued about how all the financing broke down. Triplepundit had some interesting info on the set up:

World Water & Solar Technologies designed and lead managed the solar PV project, the core of which is a 2-megawatt, 9.5-acre ground mounted solar system, about the size of seven football fields. Sharp Solar supplied the solar panels for the project. Xantrex Technology supplied the inverters.

FYI expects to save about $13 million over the solar system’s 20-year expected life. The Power Purchase Agreement allowed the airport to install the system without incurring any capital expense. PG&E, administrator of the California Public Utility Commission incentive scheme, will also supervise the net-metering link with the power grid.

So if they didn't incur any capitol expense was it free? Did they pay labor? Is this viewed as an advertising ploy? I guess I am just suspicious.

Better Than I Thought

So last Tuesday on my main blog, Nerd Family Blog, I wrote about older kids moving back in with their parents and the parents bailing them out of their financial desperation. It was based on AP article that Dr. Helen had read. Well, that article was in the Fresno Bee yesterday (Sunday). Either I am really good or.... You draw your own conclusions.

SJK's Lawyers Awarded $2.5 Million

So now Stacy Johnson-Klein's lawyers have been awarded $2.5 million. There are some very interesting parts in the article in the Fresno Bee such as,

In a four-page ruling, Fresno County Superior Court Judge Donald S. Black said Johnson-Klein lawyers Warren Paboojian, Dan Siegel and Jason Bell should be paid a total of about $1.25 million. Black then doubled the amount, as permitted by law in cases that are particularly time-consuming and complicated.

I thought that fees were negotiated when contracts were signed with the client. Why is this under the judges per view? Judge Black said something about the money the lawyers would have lost out of pocket if Johnson-Klein would have lost the case. Isn't that a risk that lawyers take when choosing cases? Do they deserve to be rewarded based on their financial risk? What about:

Black paid particular attention to the importance that the law attaches to the concept of public value in justifying a multiplier. He said the law frowns on a multiplier for cases that lack such value.

Something else that I find odd is that Judge Black awarded them this but it still seems to be based on Stacey Johnson-Klein getting an award. But is the lawyer's compensation no longer a factor of her reward? Is this in addition to their "cut" of her award? I am puzzled and am going to attempt to find answers somewhere.

Technorati Tags: CSUFresno, Stacy Johnson-Klein

Valley Children's VS State Blue Cross Program

So there was an article in the Fresno Bee yesterday on the canceled contract between the Blue Cross Healthy Families program and Valley Children's Hospital. I had a huge issue with the fact that the article was more than half way through before they mentioned that Blue Cross only canceled the Healthy Families and Medi-Cal programs, not the private insurance contracts.

The real crux of the issue is that everyone seems to feel that Valley Children's has done something wrong. This article (and other things I have seen) points out the fact that kids will have to get care from a lesser provider now. How is that Valley Children's fault? If they are so much better than any other provider perhaps they deserve compensation? Maybe all the fault lies with Blue Cross? They are other Healthy Family/Medi-Cal companies that Valley Children's does accept. Maybe the other companies realize the value of a hospital of Valley Children's stature.

I also look at this as a community issue. I value Valley Children's. I like knowing that a hospital with this expertise is available to my kids. It won't be if we demand they take substandard compensation. If they don't make enough money to stay open they will close or worse charge the rest of us twice as much. So maybe we should back the hospital in this case? And maybe The Bee and other media outlets should put out such biased reports. This is still a free market society, lets act like it.

Technorati Tags: Valley Children's Hospital, Healthy Families, Blue Cross, Fresno Bee

Union Tries to Get Local Support

According to a Fresno Bee article, SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West is trying to unionized Community Med Centers technicians, nursing assistants, clerks and housekeepers. To begin with I don't like unions. Usually they are just lining their own pockets and protecting bad workers. Let us be honest, a good worker is worth what ever the market will pay but incompetents shouldn't be shielded, but I digress. What is the evidence that they have to be making money? The fact that the union is spending money buying 2 billboard ads and numerous print ads. There has to be money in it for the union.

It always surprises me when people assume unions are just here to protect workers. When it comes to wage and benefit controls the solution is simple. If no one will work for a certain amount the employer will pay more. Unions cause prices to go up with no benefit to anyone.