He faced off against then Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger last year, refusing the governor's request to pay state workers minimum wage until a budget was passed. This year, he delivered more bad news to California lawmakers, reporting that taxes and other revenue trailed projections in March.
He is California State Controller John Chiang, who will join Berkeley-Haas real estate economist Kenneth Rosen in giving timely, information-packed keynote speeches at the 16th annual Fisher Center Real Estate Conference from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. May 24 in San Francisco.
The day-long event, sponsored by the Haas School's Fisher Center for Real Estate and Urban Economics, will be held at the Parc 55 Wyndham Hotel.
In his talk, Chiang will focus on how the decline in traditional sources of revenue can be mitigated in order to provide public service and conduct normal governmental activities.
Chiang is the chief fiscal officer of California, the eighth largest economy in the world. He is the state's independent fiscal watchdog and uses audit authority to uncover fraud and abuse of taxpayer dollars, while also providing fiscal guidance to local and state government. Last year, then Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger took Chiang to court when he refused to pay state employees minimum wage during a budget impasse.
Rosen, chair of the Fisher Center, will provide his widely anticipated view of the economy and real estate markets, answering the question, "Are we approaching the time when the economy turns around, leading to appreciation in asset markets?"
Robert H. Edelstein, chair of the conference and co-chair of the Fisher Center, will moderate at the event. In addition, the conference will feature more than a dozen industry experts discussing opportunities in the residential housing market, the new realities of California budgets, the future of the commercial real estate market, and financing.
For more information on the conference and to register, visit the Real Estate Conference website.