Have we really met Prop 49's trigger clause? There's no new tax or bonds for that anyway. Since it passed with the voters, the funding level can't change without voter approval anyway.
Yep. About $450 million was included in the Governor's January budget, triggered by a bit of manipulation with the spending numbers. Contrary to media coverage, it was triggered by big-spending appropriations, not revenue increases. Several forces have suggested delay or halting of the spending, inlcuding the LAO. Below is one article. Others can be found by searching keyword "Prop 49" since January 2006.
CA: Legislative analyst suggests halting governor's after-school program (Prop 49)Here is a snip from the Legislative Analysts Office analysis of the Governor's proposed budget source):
Bakersfield Californian ^ | 2/24/05 | Jim Wasserman - AP
Posted on 02/24/2005 6:27:09 PM PST by NormsRevenge
Recommend Legislature Repeal Proposition 49We continue to recommend the Legislature enact legislation placing before the voters a repeal of Proposition 49 because (1) it triggers an autopilot augmentation even though the state is facing a structural budget gap of billions of dollars, (2) the additional spending on after school programs is a lower budget priority than protecting districts’ base education program, and (3) existing state and federal after school funds are going unused.
In the 2005-06 Analysis, we recommended the Legislature repeal Proposition 49. We continue that position, recommending that the Legislature place the repeal of Proposition 49 before the voters on the June 2006 ballot for the following reasons: (1) it triggers badly timed autopilot spending, (2) the program is a lower priority than other K-12 needs, (3) the program may crowd out K-12 spending on higher priority programs, and (4) Proposition 49 funds are not likely to be spent in a timely manner.
Autopilot Spending Badly Timed. Proposition 49’s intent was to give after school programs the first call on additional General Fund revenues. Since its passage, the fiscal environment has changed significantly—with the state struggling through several consecutive years of budget difficulties. The state continues to face a significant budget problem with a multibillion dollar structural budget gap for the near future. Moreover, the autopilot formula that triggers Proposition 49 creates additional spending obligations without the Legislature and Governor being able to assess the merits of the augmentation compared to other budget priorities
(snip)