Pittsburgh Community Reinvestment Group (PCRG)

Gov. Ed Rendell cannot support the proposed $27.9 billion budget that Senate and House leaders outlined today, his chief of staff, Steve Crawford, said. The spending proposal by Senate Republican and Democratic leaders and House Democrat leaders — which is already more than two months late — fails on three key criteria, he said. It makes reductions in key education programs, such as pre-kindergarten programs and school accountability block grants; it reduces important health care program, such as the Children’s Health Insurance Program; and it seriously overestimates recurring revenue for fiscal 2009-10 by as much as $500 million, he said. Read the full story from the Post Gazette online here.
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Officials from the world’s largest economies broadly agreed to rein in bonuses for bankers and to set higher balance-sheet standards for banks, but missing details left the potential for differences in the weeks ahead. Finance officials from the Group of 20 Saturday also pledged to maintain policies designed to support economic growth, but left open when and under what circumstances governments would begin to unwind those stimulative policies as economies stabilize from a year-long downturn. Read the full Wall Street Journal article here.

In a surprise move, state House leaders have given Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl a little more time to exempt Pittsburgh from a bill that would make sweeping, and potentially costly, changes to many underfunded municipal pension systems. House Democratic leaders announced yesterday that a vote on House Bill 1828 — which would allow Philadelphia to increase its sales tax from 7 percent to 8 percent, as well as permitting a state takeover of Pittsburgh’s ailing pension system — would be postponed from Tuesday until perhaps Thursday. Read the full Post-Gazette story online here.

The former bank building in McKees Rocks was packed with more than 200 people. Some had signs slung around their necks that read, “Pass a fair budget now,” while others held posters calling for help for adult education, the homeless, mothers and other needs. The Greater Pittsburgh Nonprofit Partnership hosted a news conference yesterday at the Focus on Renewal community center to discuss the impact the Pennsylvania budget impasse has on local communities. The state has been operating on a partial budget that doesn’t include many social services since the fiscal year began July 1. Read the full Post-Gazette story online here.

The recession is finally hitting city budgets, with overall city revenues inching down in fiscal 2009 for the first time since 2002, according to a report to be released Tuesday by the National League of Cities. Weak growth in property taxes, reflecting soft housing prices, did not counterbalance sharp declines in other sources of income, including sales taxes, income taxes and state aid, according to a survey of 379 league member cities. Read the full article online at the Wall Street Journal here.

A little more than $600 million. That’s what separates two different state budget proposals, one developed by legislative Democrats and the other by Republicans. And a compromise could still be far off. The six-member bipartisan budget conference committee yesterday held its first meeting in a month, with Democrats presenting a retooled 2009-10 budget proposal of $28.1 billion, and Republicans countering with a spending plan of almost $27.5 billion. Read the full story online at the Post-Gazette here.

Holy Ground is a project of the Pittsburgh Interfaith Impact Network, a coalition of congregations seeking to better their communities. The initiative provides training for congregations to identify serious problems in their neighborhood and then to do the work required to solve those problems. Church members canvassed the neighborhood to identify problems, including the storm drains, missing stop signs and abandoned lots and houses. They have already begun conversations with three city departments that all sent representatives to last night’s public meeting. Local residents “want to restore the village atmosphere, where people really care for one another, as opposed to being fearful of drug or gang activity,” said the Rev. David Thornton, pastor of Grace Memorial. Read the full story in the Post-Gazette here.

John Taylor, the president and CEO of the National Community Reinvestment Coalition, today made this statement:
 
“Senator Edward Kennedy was without peer as a Congressional leader; the inspiration he has provided to generations is sore comfort for our sorrow at his loss. His passing is deeply felt by all who strive for a more just society. I had the great privilege of being represented in Massachusetts by Ted.  I also had the great fortune of witnessing his tireless commitment and leadership on so many issues related to matters of justice: civil rights, fighting the poll tax, health care, minimum wage, workers’ rights, education, and on and on. His uncommon independence, sense of fairness, effectiveness and fortitude combined are the qualities required to make our nation a more perfect union. He and the Kennedy family have served our nation like no others. We hope and pray that his family finds some peace and comfort in the sincere appreciation that millions of Americans have for the life work of this truly wonderful citizen.”

It’s official: The economy is bad for your health. Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine questioned 250 homeowners going through foreclosure in Philadelphia and found that 47 percent showed symptoms of depression, with 37 percent exhibiting signs of major depression. The rate was especially high considering previous research showed that only about 12.8 percent of people living in poverty were depressed, the study found. Read the entire article online here.