Sacramento Bee: An Alameda County judge today ordered back pay for tens of thousands of state workers he says were illegally furloughed because they work in departments funded outside the general fund. If the order is upheld, it will cost the state millions of dollars.

ACSS sent a floor alert ahead of the Assembly session today urging Assembly members to vote "yes" on SBX8 29. If approved, this bill would exempt state workers in jobs funded no more than 5 percent from the state general fund. The bill was introduced by Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg and easily passed by the Senate. Read the alert here.

One sign unions are losing ground: The number of union members in the public sector exceeded their private-sector counterparts for the first time last year. Another: Unions usually gain strength during economic slumps. Not this time. Third: The state's unions are losing in the public opinion poll.

From The State Worker blog: If watching the Olympics has motivated you to get back to the slopes, some Tahoe area ski resorts are making that a lot easier to afford. Boreal's "Frickin' Friday" deal for furloughed state employees offers $15 lift tickets on, of course, furlough Fridays (regular price: $47). Squaw Valley's $83 tickets are discounted to $49 on specified dates.

State Worker writer Jon Ortiz reports this morning that the effort to gather signatures to place a pension-cutting initiative on the ballot is stymied by the refusal of Gov. Schwarzenegger and GOP gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman to support it. "The governor felt he'd be a hindrance to us. Meg is not supporting us. That's pretty much it," initiative leader Marcia Fritz is quoted as saying.

A bit of optimistic news: The two proposals to reduce the pensions of public employees appear to be faltering at the signature-gathering stage. To qualify the initiatives for the ballot, the propoonents, led by Marcia Fritz of Citrus Heights, need 700,000 signatures by June 14 – and about $2 million.

ACSS members, the deadline to reserve your room at the Holiday Inn Capitol Plaza for Lobby Day is March 12. To make your reservation, call the hotel at 916-446-0100. Be sure to ask for the ACSS discount. Lobby Day, our prime opportunity to introduce ourselves and our issues to legislators, will be St. Patrick's Day, March 17. Training is the night before. Call ACSS at 916-326-4257 if you have questions. Watch our Web site Lobby Day page for information.

From The State Worker blog: The Alameda Superior Court judge who issued three rulings against Gov. Schwarzenegger in furlough lawsuits says he'll issue final decisions on those cases within one week. The item contains links for more information.

FromThe Sacramento Bee: The state Senate yesterday approved SBX 8 29, a bill to exempt from furloughs thousands of state workers in departments that are funded largely by dedicated fees or the federal government. The measure would end furloughs for workers in departments that get at least 95 percent of their budget money from sources other than the general fund and would also exempt from furloughs the Board of Equalization and the Franchise Tax Board. Read the bill here.

CalPERS has scheduled only five retirement planning fairs this year: March 30 in Los Angeles; April 2 and 3 in Sacramento, April 8 in Redding and April 14 in Fresno. The retirement fairs offer information on planning for your state retirement and Social Security as well as several workshops. For locations, times and other information, check the CalPERS Web site.

The State Worker blog this morning reports on a study by the Senate Office of Oversight and Outcomes that found furloughs at the Franchise Tax Board cost $7 for each $1in payroll epenses they saved.

The governor and several state employee unions have restarted contrct talks aimed at a long-shot breakthrough. Optimism is low, but both sides have an incentive to bargain, writes Sacramento Bee reporter Jon Oritz. Because supervisors and managers are excluded from bargaining, ACSS cannot negotiate with the governor.

It's true. Gov. Schwarzenegger has dropped his plans to swear in Sen. Able Maldonado as lieutenant governor after an apparent narrow defeat in the Assembly and has renominated him to the post -- restarting the 90-day clock to confirm him. We'll update as news becomes available.

The Franchise Tax Board's loss from the furloughs is seven times greater than its savings, according to a report issued today by the nonpartisan California Senate Office of Oversigh and Outcomes, and the Board of Equalization and constitutional offices achieved equivalent savings through budget cuts, not furloughs.

The state Assembly, in a 37-35 vote, turned down the nomination of Sen. Abel Maldonado for lieutenant governor. The governor's office is challenging the assertion that the vote counts as a rejection.