Wanted: An Early Warning System for Local Governments

By Marc Joffe
02/21/2017
This article originally appeared in The Capitol Weekly. Back in 2012, then Treasurer Bill Lockyer called for an early warning system that would give state officials time to proactively address local government fiscal emergencies before they wound up in bankruptcy court. We are now five years closer to the next recession and its attendant set of...

TAGS: fiscal early warning systems

California City and County Fiscal Strength Index – 2017 Update

By Marc Joffe
02/08/2017
Relative to earlier years and their peers in other states, most California city and county governments were in good financial condition at the end of fiscal year 2015. California Policy Center’s study of audited financial statements and socioeconomic indicators show widespread fiscal strength, but a few trouble spots as well. Our analysis extends a fiscal...

TAGS: fiscal early warning systems

Local Government Fiscal Early Warning Systems: A Good Idea Whose Time Has Come

By Marc Joffe
11/26/2014
Two years ago, Treasurer Bill Lockyer called for an early warning system to detect signs of financial trouble in California local governments before they faced bankruptcy. By proactively identifying at-risk cities, the system could create an opening for local experts and external advisors to intervene before any given situation spun out of control. As the California Policy...

TAGS: fiscal early warning systems