Superior Court Judge Timothy Frawley has tentative ruled not to allow furlough lawsuits to be coordinated and transferred to Sacramento. Final ruling is expected later today. Tentative rulings are rarely changed.

An ACSS member has asked us if ACSS is pursuing grievances related to the loss of Columbus Day and Lincoln’s birthday as holidays, as SEIU Local 1000 is doing. ACSS President Arlene Espinoza responded directly to this member. Click on the headline above to read her full response:

The Sacramento News & Review this week interviews state workers (a large percentage of our working population here) about the impacts of Furlough Fridays on their lives and budgets. Amid the severe minuses are a few pluses. ACSS would like to know your reaction to the furloughs: How have you handled the pay cut? How do you spend your days off? Is there a silver lining? Please email your comments to Lholderness@calcsea.org. We will publish all we can.

Reaping again from The State Worker blog: Debate will begin in Sacramento Superior Court Friday on whether furlough lawsuits filed in other counties should be transferred to Sacramento.

From the State Worker blog: The state worker clothing swap meet, which was postponed last week, is now rescheduled for a new date and place. The details: Nov. 14, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., at New Life Preschool, 10190 Systems Parkway, Sacramento. (Systems Parkway is east of Bradshaw Road off Highway 50; the blog links to a map.) Donations can be dropped off until Nov. 12 at the following locations: 1515 S St., Room 104 North; 10000 Goethe Road, Suite C1C; and 1900 Alabama Ave. (ask for Cecily Brown in the master data unit).

The governor didn't give the order to buy fleets of vehicles that then stood idle; a state purchasing agent was responsible. The State Worker column today offers insight into how this mistake happened - and it reminds state workers of the power they have to blow the whistle on abuses they see.

Kathleen Webb, a Department of General Services deputy director who oversaw the state's vehicle fleet, resigned and a Caltrans employee was reassigned in the wake of a Sacramento Bee investigation that found $5.5 million had been spent on Caltrans vehicles that were left idle.

Gov. Schwarzenegger has written a letter to congressional leaders urging them to pass a health care measure that would require everyone to carry health insurance but reiterating concern that the proposals must be affordable to the states. Mandatory Medicaid expansion could impose $1 billion a year in additional costs to California, the governor wrote.

Two state departments spent more than $5.5 million on new vehicles this year only to leave them idle and gathering dust. A Sacramento Bee editorial points out that "the state's fiscal house of cards was collapsing but the state's purchasing agents were conducting 'business as usual.'" And that, the piece concludes, is part of the reason "California remains mired in a financial mess."

The Department of Personnel Administration is training its best and brightest state workers to take over top jobs as supervisors and managers become eligible to retire in large numbers. The department's "Leadership Academy" offers graduate-level courses in Sacramento. The students must interview and apply to take them.

In June, CalPERS announced it had added a new "CalPERS responds" section to its Web site. Now, the pension fund has expanded this resource to its own Web site, calpersresponds.com. The new format, the press release says, will make the information more easily accessible.

The State Worker blog today reports this morning that the Franchise Tax Board will be closing one hour early -- at 4 p.m -- beginning Nov. 1. Reason? "Budget constraints." The blog also gives the back and forth of the SCIF bonus, which was stopped by DPA.

From calpensions.com: State Treasurer Bill Lockyer warned California at a legislative hearing that the state will go bankrupt if the pension system isn't reformed. He also said he didn't have a solution to the pension problem "other than constructive dialogue."

From Capitol Weekly: State worker pensions continue to come under attack: A group of Orange County politicos has filed two proposed ballot initiatives to bar unions from deducting money from members' paychecks for political purposes and require unions to get written permission before deducting money for political activity. Two similar initiatives were rejected in the past. A third initiative by the California Foundation for Fiscal Responsibility would lower pension benefits, increase retirement age and establish a statewide pension rate.

A chart-style breakdown of the various furlough lawsuit issues and arguments.