How will the new federal budget plans affect our economy?

On the next Your Call, we'll talk about the federal budget. Who are the winners and losers in the plans put forward by President Obama and House Budget Chair Paul Ryan? How will they impact people who depend on federal programs from Medicare to student loans? And what might they mean for our fragile and increasingly unequal economy? Join us at 10 or send an email to feedback@yourcallradio.org. Are there alternatives the heavy-hitters in Washington don't want us to think about? It's Your Call with Rose Aguilar.

Guests:
Annie Lowrey, economics and business reporter for Slate Magazine

Richard Wolff, professor of economics emeritus at University of Massachusetts, Amherst and author of Capitalism Hits the Fan: The Global Economic Meltdown and What to Do About It.

Dr. Robert Drago, research director with the Institute for Women's Policy Research

Click to Listen: How will the new federal budget plans affect our economy?

Do you want to see Proposition 13 reformed?

On the next Your Call, it's our Agenda for a New Economy series: Do you want to see Proposition 13 reformed? How? Proposition 13 was passed over thirty years ago to cap real estate taxes at around one percent. This year, San Francisco lawmakers have introduced a bill to close tax loopholes written into Prop 13 for corporations. Legislators say they're denying the state billions in revenue. Has the state budget crisis finally prompted reform of Prop 13? Join the conversation live at 11 a.m. or send your questions and comments to feedback@yourcallradio.org Do you want to change Prop 13? It's Your Call with Rose Aguilar, and you.

Guests:
Phil Ting, San Francisco Assessor-Recorder who will be hosting a town-hall meeting in Oakland tomorrow to discuss reforming Prop 13.

Thomas Elias, California syndicated political columnist

Click to Listen: Do you want to see Proposition 13 reformed?

Should we be afraid of increasing debt?

With the country in financial crisis, is now the time for government to spend money or save it? As part of our Agenda for a New Economy series, we're taking on the deficit: Should we be afraid of increasing debt? Or should we spend our way out of trouble and face the consequences later? We're debating the costs of deficit spending in an economic crisis, and the long-term effects of a growing national debt. Join the conversation live at 11 a.m. or send your questions and comments to feedback@yourcallradio.org. Should a county in financial crisis worry about its deficit? It's Your Call with Rose Aguilar, and you.

Guests:
Dr. Diane Lim Rogers, chief economist at the Concord Coalition and former chief economist for the House Budget Committee.

Mike Konczal, fellow with the Roosevelt Institute where he works on financial reform and budget issues.

Click to Listen: Should we be afraid of increasing debt?

What's the state of the military industrial complex?

What's the state of the military industrial complex and what is its impact on the larger economy? On the next Your Call, we continue our series Agenda for a New Economy by talking about the U.S. military budget. At just over $800 billion, the U.S. spends more on the military than the next 45 countries combined. So where is all of that money going?

Join us live at 11 or send an email to feedback@yourcallradio.org. Where's the transparency and where are the calls for cuts? It's Your Call with Rose Aguilar and you.

Guests:
Paul Martin--Political and Communications Director of Peace Action

John Arquilla--Professor and Director of the Information Operations Center at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, CA

Click to Listen: What's the state of the military industrial complex?

Your Call 070709 Will non-profits survive state budget cuts?

How are the non-profits that hold together our social safety net surviving the economic downturn and government budget cuts? On the next Your Call, we'll have a conversation about the impact of the California budget crisis on non-profit organizations. One third of Bay Area non-profits struggle to survive. Who is being impacted the most? Send us an email at feedback@yourcallradio.org or join us live at 11 am. What can we do to help? It's Your Call with Rose Aguilar and you.

Guests:
Lorne Needle, vice president of Community Development with United Way of the Bay Area

Steven Toy, past president and chairman emeritus of the Board of Friends of Vision Literacy

Karen Delaney, executive director of the Santa Cruz County Volunteer Center

Click to Listen: Will non-profits survive state budget cuts?

Your Call 051309 Can the special election save California?

Can the special election save California? On the next Your Call we'll speak with John Myers and Trudy Schafer about the upcoming special election. The vote aims to direct emergency funds to the fledgling California Budget but is being ignored by most Californians. Can the ballot measures get California back on track, or do we need to go back to the drawing board? Why should we care about the special election? Join the conversation at 866-798-TALK, that's 866-798-8255. Or send us an email at feedback@yourcallradio.org. Can the special election avert further crisis? It's Your Call with Ben Temchine and you.

Guests:
John Myers, The California Report's Sacramento bureau chief. He writes the daily newsblog, "Capital Notes," and host a weekly political podcast of the same name.

Trudy Schafer
Senior program director of the League of Women Voters of California

Click to Listen: Can the special election save California?

Your Call 042109 How is California funded, and how should it be?

How is California funded, and how should it be? On the next Your Call, we'll have a conversation about California's upcoming special election. On May 19, Californians will vote on six ballot propositions intended to close the 42 billion dollar budget gap. What's in these propositions? You can join the conversation by email at feedback@yourcallradio.org. How can we have a more fair and stable way of paying the state's bills - and what can we learn from other states? It's Your Call, with Sandip Roy and you.

Guests:
Steve Maviglio, the principal of Forza Communications, a Sacramento-based public affairs/campaign firm. He writes for California Majority Report.

Brian Leubitz with Calitics, California Politics Blog

Michael Cohen, deputy legislative analyst with California Legislative Analyst's Office

Click to Listen: How is California funded, and how should it be?

Your Call 011509 Why can't Sacramento fix the budget?

Why can't Sacramento pass a budget that reflects the priorities of the people and the realities of the economy? On the next Your Call we will follow Gov. Schwarzenegger's State of the State address with a look at why the legislature spins its wheels while the budget shortfall grows and grows. More than a month ago, the governor unveiled a ticking budget deficit clock that jumps $470 every second. What can break the deadlock? What do you make of the governor's speech? Were his priorities yours? Can California pass a budget that reflects our values and economic reality? It's Your Call with Rose Aguilar and you.

Guests:
Jordan Rau in Sacramento
Staff writer in the Sacramento bureau of the Los Angeles Times where he covers state health-care policy and politics. Before joining the paper in 2004, Rau was the Albany bureau chief for Newsday in New York and also worked at several newspapers in Vermont and New Hampshire.

Jonathan Wilcox in Los Angeles
Adjunct Professor at USC's Annenberg School for Communication. He is a former spokesman and speechwriter for Gov. Pete Wilson and gubernatorial candidate Bill Simon. During the California Recall, Wilcox was Communications Director for Congressman Darrell Issa.

Click to Listen: Why can't Sacramento fix the budget?

Your Call 121808 Starving Arts Budgets

As public arts budgets shrink, what should we save? On the next Your Call, we will have a conversation about funding of the Arts during the economic downturn. San Francisco and Oakland are among many cities across the country proposing massive cuts to Arts budgets, and also threaten many cultural and artistic institutions with closure. How are the cuts going to impact the vibrant and diverse arts and cultural scene of the Bay Area? And what should be done to support the Arts? It's Your Call, with Rose Aguilar and you.

Guests: Marco Barricelli, Artistic Director Shakespeare in Santa Cruz

Nancy Gonchar, Deputy Director San Francisco Arts Commission

Thomas DeCaigny, Executive Director of Performing Arts Workshop

Click to Listen: Starving Arts Budgets

Your Call 112508 Hard Questions about Wildfires

Is California asking the hard questions about wildfires? On the next Your Call we'll discuss how the environmental and economic climates are forcing hard choices on the state. How should fire-fighting be balanced with other state priorities in the budget? If we cut the budget for fighting fires, how should the priority list for those resources change? Is the urban core of the state building enough housing to relieve population pressures in high danger areas? It's Your Call with Ben Temchine and you.

Guests: Bill Stewart in Berkeley
Forestry Specialist at the University of California at Berkeley. Before joining the university two years ago, Bill was the Director of the research unit at the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, where he studied resource economics issues.

Andy Stahl in Portland, Oregon
Executive Director of Forest Service Employees for Environmental Ethics, national organization of government employees holding the Forest Service accountable for responsible land stewardship.

Click to Listen: Hard Questions about Wildfires

Your Call 072808 The California Budget Standoff

What's going on with the California budget? On the next Your Call, we'll have a conversation about the state's budget stalemate. Governor Schwarzenegger wants to sign an executive order to lower 200,000 state workers to minimum wage until the budget is passed. But the state controller has described the governor's plan as "an untenable burden on state workers." Who is going to be impacted? And what does it take for the state to pass its budget? It's Your Call, with Rose Aguilar and you.

Guests:
Adrienne Suffin, chair of the Employment Development Department (EDD) Task Force.

Jean M. Ross, founding executive director of the California Budget Project

John Laird, Assemblymember and chair of Budget Committee. He represents the 27th Assembly District portions of Monterey, Santa Clara and Santa Cruz Counties.

Click to Listen: The California Budget Standoff

Your Call 031108 California Budget Cuts and the Future of our Parks

What can we do to keep our parks open? On the next Your Call, we'll have a discussion about Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's proposed plan to close 48 state parks, including Candlestick Point and Armstrong Woods. Under the plan, the parks would be off-limits until the state's financial situation improves. Since the announcement, dozens of organizations from around the state have launched the "Save Our Parks" campaigns. Do the closures make fiscal sense? Are you willing to pay a fee to keep the parks open? If not, what's the alternative? It's Your Call with Rose Aguilar and you.

Guests:
Joseph H. Engbeck, an environmental historian and on the board of directors of Regional Park Association.

Elizabeth Goldstein, president of The California State Parks Foundation. CSP along with dozens of organizations from around the state have launched the "Save Our Parks" campaigns.

Click to Listen: California Budget Cuts and the Future of our Parks

Your Call 103007 The Budget

How can we make sense of the $2.8 trillion dollar U.S. budget? On the next Your Call, we’ll have a conversation with Linda Bilmes, a budget expert and public policy professor at the Kennedy School of Government. Federal spending grew by nearly 50 percent between 2001 and 2007 and the federal debt has grown to about 9 trillion dollars. What is the overall war spending in the budget? And what’s being squeezed as a result? It’s Your Call, Rose Aguilar, and you.
 
Guest:
Linda Bilmes, a budget expert and public policy professor at the Kennedy School of Government

Click to Listen: The Budget