It Figures

$600 Million

All 16 private insurance companies that participate in a federal crop insurance program have signed off on the new federal reinsurance agreement that cuts the subsidies they get by $600 million per year for the next 10 years. The insurers reluctantly signed the 2011 Standard Reinsurance Agreements (SRA) with an overall $6 billion funding reduction. The USDA has contended that reductions are warranted because crop insurers have been making hefty profits. Industry groups argued that the companies need the subsidies to maintain high reserves in case of widespread crop disasters. The agency says $4 billion of the savings will go toward reducing the federal deficit, while $2 billion will support risk management and conservation programs for farmers.

20%

Hate crimes in California fell by more than 20 percent last year, according to a new report released by California Attorney General Edmund G. Brown Jr.’s office. “Hate Crime in California 2009” showed that hate crime events dropped 21.3 percent from 1,397 in 2008 to 1,100 last year, the second consecutive year of decline. Overall, hate crimes have declined by half since they peaked in 2001, dropping from 2,261 to 1,100.

Topics California