The California Association of Highway Patrolmen took in nearly twice as much in contributions as it spent on political activities in 2011. Contributors gave the union $465,947, according to reports filed with the state. Only one contribution, $300 returned from Democratic Sen. Ron Calderon, exceeded the $100 threshold for itemized reporting, according to CAHP's filings.

Meanwhile, the association wrote checks for $223,415 to cover political activities. All but about $10,000 went to poltical campaigns, mostly via fundraisers. The largest expenses listed on the union's report were $50,000 for the Speaker's Cup golf tournament at Pebble Beach and $50,000 to the Pro Tem's Cup golf event at Torrey Pines.

We've embedded a spreadsheet below with pages that detail what CAHP spent on political activities last year and other pages that total up the money. You can access each page by clicking the tabs at the bottom of the table.

Expenditures page show everything the association spent on poltical action, including operating costs. Contributions pages break out donations to campaigns and political causes.To get a sense of political spending in California by other interest groups, check out Maplight.org. The California data on that site run through December 2010.

The State Worker: Some California unions drop furlough cases; two soldier on
The California Correctional Peace Officers Association quietly dropped two furlough lawsuits last week, one in Alameda Superior Court and the other a federal case before the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. (Sacramento Bee)

Sick pay cashouts for NJ public workers the talk of the day
Emotions ran high Wednesday at a conference of New Jersey mayors, some of whom demanded stepped-up state assistance in controlling municipal budgets, with others being lashed by a legislator for creating massive taxpayer liabilities to public workers for unused sick pay. (Asbury Park Press)

Group suspends California public pension reform ballot effort
The cause of pension reform in California took a significant body shot Wednesday when a group hoping to put an overhaul measure before voters this year suspended its campaign. (Sacramento Bee)

Parents fume over accused LA teachers' pensions
LOS ANGELES -- The abuse scandal in the Los Angeles Unified School District has angered many parents and left students heartbroken. And now there's another issue brewing: pension payments for teachers accused of misconduct. (NBCLosAngeles.com)

South Dakota weighs ban on public sector collective bargaining
South Dakota is considering a Wisconsin-style ban on public sector collective bargaining at all levels of government. But because many public workers have limited or nonexistent bargaining rights to begin with, the debate is causing considerable confusion. (Stateline.org)

Michigan state workers will avoid furlough days
LANSING, Mich. -- An estimated 37,000 state of Michigan workers represented by unions won't have to take unpaid furlough days this fiscal year because of a budget surplus, state officials said Wednesday. (AP / CBS Money Watch)

MD: State workers to get new pharmacy plan
More than 200,000 Maryland state employees, retirees and dependents will switch to a new pharmacy plan as a result of the Board of Public Works' decision Wednesday to award the $2.4 billion contract to a St. Louis-based company. (Baltimore Sun)

MA: 2 ex-state workers get probation in pool fatality
FALL RIVER - Two former state workers who oversaw a Fall River pool where a woman drowned last year - and her body went unnoticed for two days - were sentenced yesterday to a year of probation. (Boston Globe)

SC: Proposal squeezes retirees, workers
South Carolina's 106,000 retired teachers, state employees and local government workers would get raises only if the state's retirement fund makes more money consistently from its investments. And state workers hired after July 1 would have to work longer - 30 years, up from the current 28 - before they could retire. (The State)

NY: Unions air ads against Tier VI pension plan
The unions that represent state workers are taking their fight with the governor to the airwaves. (foxnews23.com)

MI: Originally exempt, Wisconsin police and firefighters now face cuts (Part 2)
Midwest states are changing their relationships with unions. (Michigan Radio)

CT: Malloy Mimics Christie by Attacking Connecticut Teachers' Tenure
Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy, a Democrat elected in 2010, wants to overhaul rules for giving public-school teachers tenure, introducing new standards for evaluating their performance. (Bloomberg / San Francisco Chronicle)

CT: Hackett on Politics: Pension payment plan looks to future
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy's midterm budget address Wednesday was 14 pages long and took nearly 40 minutes to deliver. The last seven pages were dedicated exclusively to his centerpiece legislative initiative: education reform. But what may prove to be the most crucial proposal was included in a mere seven paragraphs on page 6, where Malloy briefly addressed his plan to tackle Connecticut's most nagging fiscal crisis -- its long-term, unfunded pension obligations. (Norwich Bulletin)

U.S.: GovExec: Freezing Federal Salaries, OPM And Its Pension Backlog
In this era of concern about the federal deficit, the federal workforce has been a common target for spending reductions. Federal salaries have already been frozen for two years, and now there are calls for additional curbs on compensation. Kellie Lunnie, a senior reporter at Government Executive, talks to WAMU Morning Edition host Matt McCleskey about what that could mean for federal employees. (WAMU)

NJ: Issue of sick leave for state workers nearing a resolution
For 14 months, Gov. Chris Christie and Democratic lawmakers have been at an impasse over payouts to public workers for unused sick time when they retire, further straining the budgets of hard-pressed municipalities. (Star-Ledger)

Follow @TheStateWorker on Twitter and check out our community page on Facebook for links, comments and insights into our reports, blog posts and columns.

California Attorneys, Administrative Law Judges and Hearing Officers in State Employment reported political contributions of $154,200 and political expenditures of $206,443, according to records published by the state.

The expense report tallies all political spending, including the contributions figures that break out money that went to politicians and issues campaigning.

The California Democratic Central Committee received the most money, $37,700. Rank-and-file members contributed a little over $41,000 to the CASE PAC. Nearly all of that came in $10 donations. CASE represents roughly 3,400 employees.

We've embedded a spreadsheet below with pages that detail what CASE received and gave last year and other pages that total up the money. To get a sense of political spending in California by other interest groups, check out Maplight.org. The California data on the site run through December 2010.

A political action committees operated by SEIU Local 1000 gave $380,000 to campaigns and organizations last year, including nearly $195,000 to the Democratic State Central Committee of California, according to records filed with the state.

The union also donated a total of $21,000 to help retire 2010 campaign debts for Democrats such as Assemblyman Das Williams, D-Santa Barbara; Assemblyman Sandré Swanson, D-Alameda; and Assemblyman Bob Wieckowski, D-Fremont, among others.

One of the union's PACs donated several hundred dollars of staff time to politicians, including Controller John Chiang.

For a list of the union's political entities, click here. The union's reports to the state duplicated some expenditures. Note: The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1991 that public sector employees may not be compelled to subsidize political or ideological activities of public employee unions.

We've embedded a spreadsheet below that details how the union's various political entities received and gave last year. To get a sense of political spending in California by other interest groups, check out Maplight.org (the California data on the site run through December 2010).

Editor's note, 2:29 p.m.: An earlier version of this post incorrectly stated that unions could not use members' dues to fund PACs.

The losses in fiscal 2010-11 came from a $17.4 million drop in operating revenues and $8.6 million the self-funded PIA set aside in anticipation of settling union furlough lawsuits. The authority also paid $6.3 million to cover Other Post-Employment Benefits such as retiree health care and a $2.8 million expense from factory closures.

"If not for the furlough expense, the annual OPEB charge, and the onetime costs associated with factory closures, CALPIA would have continued its profitability in FY 2010-11," the report says.

The PIA oversees four inmate training programs that operate manufacturing, service, and agriculture industries at 22 correctional facilities. They produce everything from modular buildings and fire protection gear to furniture and pre-packaged meals. Most of what PIA makes is purchased by the state or other government entities.

More than 7,000 inmates participate, saving the state "more than $11 million annually in General Fund costs for rehabilitation positions that CDCR does not have to fund," the annual report says. Those inmates make between 30 and 95 cents per hour before deductions.

Participants without a high school diploma must earn a GED within two years to continue in the program. Joint Venture Program participants earn a comparable wage less deductions for things like taxes, room and board, crime victim compensation, government-ordered restitution such as child support. Inmates in the program also have to put money into a savings account.

Graduates from the PIA's Career Technical Education program, which gives inmates "hands-on experience in real world training," were 89 percent less likely to return to prison when compared with the prison system's general population, according to the report. Overall, PIA participants across the board had a 24 percent to 30 percent lower recidivism rate than the general prison population.

NY: Drawing Fire, Deal Gives Agency Staff Power to See State Workers' Tax Files
ALBANY -- Lawmakers and labor unions on Monday pointedly criticized a secret decision by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo's administration to greatly expand the state inspector general's access to tax returns filed by state employees. (New York Times)

Initiative would make Legislature part time, slash its pay
A proposal by Assemblywoman Shannon Grove (R-Bakersfield) probably won't make her many friends among her colleagues. She wants to reduce the Legislature to part-time status and cut its pay from $95,000 annually to $1,500 a month. (Los Angeles Times)

Dan Walters: Jerry Brown's tax plan takes a double hit
Gov. Jerry Brown's campaign to balance the state budget with new income and sales taxes took a double hit Monday. (Sacramento Bee)

State workers may have to wait longer to retire
COLUMBIA -- A House panel studying South Carolina pension reform will consider this week tweaking proposed requirements on age and years on the job. (AP / Post and Courier)

HI: State overpaid employees by more than $2 million
HONOLULU - A Hawaii News Now investigation reveals the state has overpaid its employees more than $1.5 million, with hundreds of thousands more in state tax dollars written off as uncollectable and other incorrect pay amounts recovered months or years later from employees who were accidentally paid too much. (HawaiiNewsNow)

WI: State's public workers cope with reduced buying power following Walker legislation
State of Wisconsin clerical worker Gina Bertolini started paying about 6 percent of her $15.48 hourly wage toward her pension in August plus $84 a month for her health coverage. (Wisconsin State Journal)

One year later, lower-paid state workers feel pinch of CB law
MADISON, WI - It was a year ago this week when Governor Scott Walker proposed his landmark legislation that virtually eliminated public union bargaining privileges. The same law requires all state and local workers not covered by union contracts to pay 12 percent of the health insurance benefits, plus 5.8 percent of their salaries toward their pensions. Laura Dresser of the UW-Madison Center on Wisconsin Strategy says the economy's taking a hit, because thousands of people are getting cuts in their take home pay. And Dresser says it "moves Wisconsin away from creating jobs." (WTAQ)

Alaska state workers might get DB again
A bill in the Alaska Senate would allow new public employees to choose to participate in a defined benefit or defined contribution plan. (Pensions & Investments)

Iowa auditor says budget doesn't cover raises
DES MOINES, Iowa -- State auditor David Vaudt warned Monday that Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad's proposed budget doesn't include funding to cover pay and benefit increases for state workers, nor does it do enough to help an estimated $5.7 billion shortfall in the state's pension system. (CBS Money Watch)

Proposed Changes in Benefits Could Lead to Early Lawmaker Retirements
When state lawmakers changed post-retirement health care for state workers several years ago, a number of state employees took early retirement -- all while many complained that legislators themselves would be treated differently and could retire out of the legislative branch with better benefits. (Utah Pulse)

Lawmakers in 9 states target own pension perks
Lawmakers in nine states -- Idaho, Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey and South Carolina-- are advancing legislation to scale back their own pensions by closing loopholes and lucrative retirement plans that have let thousands of former lawmakers earn more in retirement than while in office. (USA Today)

Debate on Florida private prisons hinges on cost
TALLAHASSEE -- As state lawmakers consider a massive expansion of prison privatization, one number dominates the debate: 7 percent. (Miami Herald)

Follow @TheStateWorker on Twitter and check out our community page on Facebook for links, comments and insights into our reports, blog posts and columns.

Civil engineer Philip Chaohui He, who was also known as Philip Hope, was arrested in Long Beach on Dec. 11 and fired from his Caltrans job 10 days later for failing to show up to work.

Department spokeswoman Tamie McGowen said that He, an Oakland resident, reviewed technical drawings and that his work was closely supervised, including work he did on the Bay Bridge.

"He had no access to sensitive information that's not available to the public," McGowen said, asserting that there are no safety or security concerns about He's work.

Investigators from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Department of Homeland Security told Caltrans last July that they were watching He. At the fed's request, Caltrans cooperated with the investigation.

"We're proud of the fact that we were closely working with them," McGowen said.

The Colorado federal grand jury indictment alleges that He drove to the port of Long Beach on Dec. 11 with 200 radiation-hardened integrated circuits worth nearly $550,000 in the trunk of his car. The circuits, which are considered sensitive defense articles banned from export without federal authorization, were concealed in plastic infant formula containers inside five sealed boxes marked "milk powder" in Chinese.

At the port, the indictment alleges, He met two men "in front of a docked ship bearing a (Chinese) flag. The (Chinese) flagged ship was registered to Zhenhua Port Machinery Company LTD, a subsidiary of the ... state-owned corporation China Communications Construction." One of the men had a Chinese passport and the ship was scheduled to return to China in a few days.

He allegedly obtained the circuits illegally from Colorado-based Aeroflex Colorado Springs. After his arrest, he was extradited to Colorado and now faces up to 35 years and $1.5 million in fines on charges of conspiracy, attempted unlawful export and attempted smuggling of defense articles.

He appeared in U.S. District Court in Denver on Friday where he was advised of his rights and the charges against him
.
Click here to read the Colorado federal grand jury indictment.

Professional Engineers in California Government and California Association of Professional Scientists filed opening arguments against furloughs in Alameda Superior Court on Friday. The unions are asking the court to set aside the furlough orders "to the extent that they were unlawful and the employees represented by Petitioners should be made whole for unauthorized reductions in their compensation."

Their arguments include two new twists.

The furloughing of certain employees represented by Petitioners working in positions relating to the oversight and support of hazardous substance management and remediation work at military bases is prohibited by Water Code §13177.7 and Health & Safety Code §25353.5. Both prohibit the Controller and the Department of Finance from imposing "any . . . personal services limitations" on those positions. Water Code §13177.77(b); Health & Safety Code §25353.3(b). These Code sections are designed to protect positions that receive funding through federal grants or from parties responsible for paying the costs of the Department of Toxic Substance Control ("DTSC") or the State Water Resources Control Board ("SWRCB"), the agencies charged with doing the work at the military bases. Health & Safety Code §25353.3(b); Water Code §13177.77(b).

The unions' brief also argues that all their rank-and-file members -- regardless of where they worked -- suffered two illegal furlough days at in March 2011. The reason:

The annual budget legislation authorized only reductions in represented employees' compensation that would be proportionate to the reductions made to non-represented employees' compensation. It did not authorize furloughs that would result in cuts to represented employees' wages of a greater percentage than those made to non-represented employees. After the first furlough day in March 2011, the cuts exacted from PECG- and CAPS-represented rank-and-file employees were greater than those made to non-represented employees' compensation. As such, the second and third furlough days in March 2011 were beyond the scope of the Legislature's authorization.

PECG represents about 13,000 state employees and CAPS represents about 3,000.

The unions are also making the "off-budget" argument found in lawsuits that SEIU Local 1000 and California Attorneys, Administrative Law Judges and Hearing Officers in State Employment have recently settled with Gov. Jerry Brown's administration.

PECG has eight members at the California Housing Finance Agency and CAPS has one employee at the California Earthquake Authority. PECG also has two members at the Prison Industry Authority and CAPS has five members. None of those organizations receive appropriations from the Legislature and so, the unions say, the Legislature's furloughs shouldn't have applied to their members at those agencies.

The state will now file a rebuttal, then the unions will have an opportunity to reply. The case is scheduled for oral argument on April 13 in Judge Steven A. Brick's courtroom.

Might the unions settle before then, a la SEIU and CASE?

PECG and CAPS have "been in settlement discussions and they are ongoing," Burcar said. "This is common for cases of this nature."

Our take: A settlement isn't impossible, but it's a long shot. PECG and CAPS are two of the most aggressive unions when it comes to fighting furloughs in the courts.

By making a new argument potentially impacting all 16,000 of their members, the unions are now under more pressure to test the legal waters. Meanwhile, the new legal angle would have to be figured into any deal with Brown, significantly upping the cost of the back wages that would have to be paid as part of any settlement.
PECG v. Brown, opening brief

Click here for background on the furlough litigation between the union and Brown.

The following links open Local 1000's applications to have the cases dismissed. If you want more information about each, click on the county in the list below to open the court's document viewer, plug in the case number, and download the complaints.

Alameda Case No. RG10494800
Alameda Case No. RG10507922
Alameda Case No. RG094567750
Sacramento Case No. 34-2009-80000150-CU-WM-GDS
San Francisco CPF09509782

IMAGE: www.yolocourts.ca.gov

See the sale prices for California legislators' state cars
The state Legislature has taken a loss of more than $1 million on the sale of dozens of cars it had purchased for legislators over the years. (Sacramento Bee)

CA: Three arrested in unemployment insurance scheme
Federal authorities have arrested three Inland residents in connection with a scheme to issue unemployment checks to people who did not qualify for benefits, federal authorities said Thursday in a statement. (Press-Enterprise)

High-speed rail tapped state funds for unusual lobbying contract
In an extremely unusual use of taxpayer money, the leaders behind California's $99 billion high-speed train quietly hired a lobbyist to sway the Legislature -- the same politicians who appointed them to build the project in the first place. (Mercury News)

Opinion: The Legislature's corporate corrections push could cost Floridians greatly
Privatization has become the rallying cry of Florida's legislative leaders facing budget cuts every year. Private companies have long been needed to efficiently complete government projects, such as road construction. But unfortunately today, some lawmakers want to privatize state prisons for the sake of privatization -- ignoring real numbers, hardworking correctional officers and public safety. (Tampa Bay Online)

WA: Government purchasing might be consolidated under 1 official
State government spends more than $1 billion on goods and services a year - from computers to consultants - all of which soon might come under a single official and single set of rules. (The Olympian)

OR: Bill targets blurred line of contracts
A bill targeting sweetheart deals for retiring state workers received its first hearing Friday at the state Legislature. House Bill 4130 would require state employees who leave an agency to wait one year before they can go to work for a company that contracts with that same agency. (Statesman Journal)

N.C. job reductions hit women, minorities hardest
Women and minorities were disproportionately hit by the budget cuts to state government last year. Data provided by the state show that 58 percent of those who lost their jobs in this budget year were women, contrasted with the fact that 47 percent of the workforce in state agencies was female before the cuts. Forty percent of the laid-off workers were minorities, although they only comprised 34 percent of the state agency workforce. (News & Observer)

IA: Branstad wants elected officials to lead by paying 20 percent of health costs
Feb. 03--Gov. Terry Branstad said Friday he would like to see elected officials in Iowa "lead by example" by paying for 20 percent of the cost of their state-provided health insurance coverage. (The Gazette)

Arizona court: Employees don't have to pay larger share of state pensions
A judge has slapped down efforts by lawmakers to help balance the budget by forcing more than 200,000 state, university and school employees to pay a larger share of pension contributions. (East Valley Tribune)

NH: Critics pan NH bill creating new pension system
CONCORD, N.H. -- Critics of a proposal to create a new public pension system urged New Hampshire lawmakers Thursday to spend more time studying the idea, warning that the planned changes could make it more difficult to recruit and retain good employees. (CBS Money Watch)

FL: State considering major changes in employees' health insurance
A House committee Thursday approved a proposal that would make major changes in the state-employee health insurance system, shifting responsibilities to workers and making the system more closely resemble private-sector health plans. (News Service of Florida / Herald-Tribune)

AZ: Brewer pushes reform to make it easier to fire state workers
Gov. Jan Brewer on Thursday publicly prodded lawmakers to take up her proposal to revamp state government's personnel system, warning that she won't consider Senate Republican bills targeting public-employee unions before her own measures win approval. (AP / AZCentral.com)

NY: Cuomo's push to control pension costs gains support from business advocates
Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo's push to control state pension costs is getting support from area business advocates. (Buffalo News)

NV: State audits suggests better controls on procurement cards and confidential computer information
The state should impose tighter control on the use of its purchase cards by its employees and should also do more to protect confidential information stored in its computer systems. (Las Vegas Sun)

IL: Union members rally in front of Quinn's office to demand raises
Demanding raises that Gov. Pat Quinn has canceled, dozens of members of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees rallied Thursday in front of the governor's office, causing a brief confrontation with Secretary of State police officers. (Lincoln Courier / State Journal-Register)

CT: As State Workers Seek New Unions, Critics Say State Should Stay Out Of The Fight
Two Republican state lawmakers and a union seeking to represent state workers say Gov. Dannel P. Malloy's administration is wasting taxpayer money on lawyers to fight employees' right to vote for a different union. (Hartford Courant)

Follow @TheStateWorker on Twitter and check out our community page on Facebook for links, comments and insights into our reports, blog posts and columns.