http://www.sacbee.com/static/weblogs/bythenumbers/ Facts and figures political junkies need to know. en-us dwalters@sacbee.com 2008-08-19T22:01:00-08:00 hourly 1 2000-01-01T12:00+00:00 http://www.sacbee.com/static/weblogs/bythenumbers/014711.html Hospital emergency room use in California jumped sharply in the 1990s, but flattened out in this decade and actually dropped on a per-capita basis, a new study by the Public Policy Institute of California has found. After climbing 10 percent... 14711@http://www.sacbee.com/static/weblogs/bythenumbers/ 2008-08-19T22:01:00-08:00 http://www.sacbee.com/static/weblogs/bythenumbers/014682.html Among its other attributes, California is something of a baby factory with birth and fertility rates markedly higher than those of all but a handful of other states - especially among immigrant mothers and women lacking high school diplomas -... 14682@http://www.sacbee.com/static/weblogs/bythenumbers/ 2008-08-18T11:38:09-08:00 http://www.sacbee.com/static/weblogs/bythenumbers/014645.html California's unemployment rate jumped to 7.3 percent in July, the highest rate in 12 years and one of the highest in the nation, the Employment Development Department reported Friday. Non-farm employment decreased by 14,000 from June, EDD said, and unemployment... 14645@http://www.sacbee.com/static/weblogs/bythenumbers/ 2008-08-15T10:35:44-08:00 http://www.sacbee.com/static/weblogs/bythenumbers/014563.html Spurred by high fuel prices and a stagnant economy, Californians are spending less time in their cars, a new study by the U.S. Department of Transportation finds, but the decline in driving is less than what's occurring in the rest... 14563@http://www.sacbee.com/static/weblogs/bythenumbers/ 2008-08-13T09:48:20-08:00 http://www.sacbee.com/static/weblogs/bythenumbers/014529.html California voters face a rising number of ballot measures but are finding them increasingly difficult to swallow, a new study of the state's initiative process indicates. The study, entitled "Democracy by Initiative: Shaping California's Fourth Branch of Government," was issued... 14529@http://www.sacbee.com/static/weblogs/bythenumbers/ 2008-08-12T08:54:37-08:00 http://www.sacbee.com/static/weblogs/bythenumbers/014316.html California could be one of nine states that could lose congressional seats after the 2010 census, says Polidata, an independent and highly respected political data organization based in Virginia. Although the state's population is expected to grow by as much... 14316@http://www.sacbee.com/static/weblogs/bythenumbers/ 2008-08-11T00:01:00-08:00 http://www.sacbee.com/static/weblogs/bythenumbers/014317.html The Legislature's Democrats have proposed a state budget that includes more than $10 billion in new revenues, centered on higher income taxes on the most affluent taxpayers. The California Budget Project has produced a detailed analysis of the Democrats' tax... 14317@http://www.sacbee.com/static/weblogs/bythenumbers/ 2008-08-06T00:01:00-08:00 http://www.sacbee.com/static/weblogs/bythenumbers/014314.html California may be the last state in the nation without a state budget in place, but it's not alone in facing fiscal difficulty, according to a new study by the National Conference of State Legislatures. The study, a state-by-state survey... 14314@http://www.sacbee.com/static/weblogs/bythenumbers/ 2008-08-04T11:30:40-08:00 http://www.sacbee.com/static/weblogs/bythenumbers/014278.html California has dropped from 34th to 40th place in Forbes magazine's annual rankings of states' business climates - just in time to help Republican legislators make their pitch for adopting business-friendly policies as part of any deal on the overdue... 14278@http://www.sacbee.com/static/weblogs/bythenumbers/ 2008-08-01T11:58:34-08:00 http://www.sacbee.com/static/weblogs/bythenumbers/014220.html Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's standing among Californians is continuing to slide and now stands at 43 percent, a new Public Policy Institute of California poll finds, although his approval ratings among voters is somewhat higher. Schwarzenegger still enjoys support from fewer... 14220@http://www.sacbee.com/static/weblogs/bythenumbers/ 2008-07-30T22:00:00-08:00 http://www.sacbee.com/static/weblogs/bythenumbers/014138.html California may have many admirable qualities, but volunteering for the betterment of the community apparently isn't one of them. The Washington-based Corporation for National and Community Service has published a nationwide profile of volunteerism and California ranks 42nd with a... 14138@http://www.sacbee.com/static/weblogs/bythenumbers/ 2008-07-29T07:33:00-08:00 http://www.sacbee.com/static/weblogs/bythenumbers/014092.html Democrats say California should raise taxes to close the state budget deficit and bolster education and other vital spending while Republicans contend that the state has a "spending problem" and should forgo new taxes. The state Senate is expected to... 14092@http://www.sacbee.com/static/weblogs/bythenumbers/ 2008-07-28T06:00:00-08:00 http://www.sacbee.com/static/weblogs/bythenumbers/013996.html The headline in the Fresno Bee, "Worse than Appalachia," described it all. California's 20th Congressional District, which cuts through three San Joaquin Valley counties, was described last week as having the worst quality of life in the country. The 20th... 13996@http://www.sacbee.com/static/weblogs/bythenumbers/ 2008-07-22T10:32:54-08:00 http://www.sacbee.com/static/weblogs/bythenumbers/013970.html The bad economic news is piling up for California, with the state reporting stagnant job growth and higher unemployment and economists now agreeing that the state's recession is expanding beyond the imploding housing sector. The official unemployment rate was 6.9... 13970@http://www.sacbee.com/static/weblogs/bythenumbers/ 2008-07-21T10:19:31-08:00 http://www.sacbee.com/static/weblogs/bythenumbers/013930.html Despite California's current economic woes, the state has a lot of opportunity to remake itself economically as the 21st Century unfolds, but must adjust to monumental changes in its population and workforce, says a new paper from the Center for... 13930@http://www.sacbee.com/static/weblogs/bythenumbers/ 2008-07-18T09:10:19-08:00