Last night in LA, I moderated a panel with State Controller John Chiang, Barclays Capital managing director Peter J. Taylor (a public finance expert), and New America senior scholar Mark Paul on California's cash crunch. A report on what was said is here. One message: even if the tentative deal that legislators and the governor appear to have reached in the last 24 hours won't end the cash crunch. The state still has serious cash flow problems, said Chiang, comparing a state with a budget deal to an unemployed person who has suddenly found a job and income -- but still has to deal with the debts and bills he delayed paying while he was unemployed.

I will be moderating a Zocalo LA panel tomorrow night  -- Tuesday, Sept. 9 -- at 7:30 p.m.. at the Riordan Central Library in Los Angeles. The topic is teachers' unions and their power, both inside and outside the classroom. It's a great group of panelists: Joshua Pechthalt, vice president of United Teachers Los Angeles; Mikki Cichocki, a board member of the California Teachers Assn.; David Tokofsky, former LAUSD board member; and Steve Barr, founder and CEO of Green Dot Public Schools, the charter school organization. It's free. If you're in LA, please join us.