Boxer: Budget Stalemate Could Hurt Calif. Stimulus

SFChronicle ^ | February 18, 2009

[Steelfish]

Boxer: Budget stalemate could hurt Calif. stimulus

By JULIET WILLIAMS, Associated Press Writer

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

A monthslong partisan rift over how to solve California's $42 billion budget shortfall could jeopardize the state's piece of the federal economic stimulus package, U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer said Wednesday.

California is poised to receive more than $26 billion in economic-recovery funding, as well as billions more for future projects, according to figures compiled by U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein and state Assembly Speaker Karen Bass, both Democrats.

About $11 billion of that could immediately help the state close its budget shortfall — if the state Legislature could agree to a midyear budget fix, said Jed Kolko, associate director of research for the Public Policy Institute of California.

A bipartisan package that legislative leaders negotiated with Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has been stalled for days in the state Senate, where it needs one more GOP vote to pass.

[calcowgirl]

No party.

Everybody runs in a primary and the two that get the most votes run in a general election.

It’s favored by those who think all the problems in the capitol are due to the “fringers.”

Ain’t moderation great?

[CAluvdubya]

Man, I wish Maldonado wouldn't give in and especially for open primaries!

If the 4th had open primaries, I'd guess we'd see Congressman Brown instead of Congressman McClintock.

[calcowgirl]

Yeah... if you search twitter for “john & Ken” there are a lot of comments on that.

I’ve been trying to find all the folks that are there in the Senate or Assy and then keeping an eye on them for updates.

I only first logged onto twitter two days ago so I don’t know my way around very well.

[calcowgirl]

KQED_CapNotes
We call it a “2-way” and it’s in lieu of a produced radio story. She asks me Qs, we play some sound bites...a hybrid news/analysis segment.
9 minutes ago from TinyTwitter

chuckdevore
If the tax vote comes tonight, I feel the best speech of my life coming on... #TCOT
9 minutes ago from web

KQED_CapNotes
After all, this isn’t a done deal yet. Our decision: if it happens, I’ll do an interview segment with our CA Report host
11 minutes ago from TinyTwitter

LATimeslocal
Closed door budget negotiations zero in on deal involving a shift to “open primary.”
11 minutes ago from web

chuckdevore
Still caucusing in both houses — make the economic madness stop! #TCOT
23 minutes ago from web

[calcowgirl]

chuckdevore: If the tax vote comes tonight, I feel the best speech of my life coming on.

Go Chuck!

[calcowgirl]

I remember all the threads on open primaries when it was previously on the ballot.
Lots and lots of horror stories.

We’d never get a conservative on the ballot, IMO.
Everything would be mushy-middle big-government clowns backed by their trough-drinking backers.

[CAluvdubya]

Closed door budget negotiations zero in on deal involving a shift to “open primary.” 11 minutes ago from web

I like this...zero in on deal for shift. I can't take tax hikes AND open primaries AND the stupid porkulus fiasco (not to mention auto II and porkulus II)

[calcowgirl]

Taxes, state borrowing (future taxes), fed stimulus (more borrowing - more future taxes), etc. etc. etc.

They seem to believe that the wealth of the average American is theirs to take and redistribute to their own priorities. It’s sick!

[CAluvdubya]

Did you read the thread earlier that was a letter from an employer to his employees? It was sort of long but really laid out why the stimulus work work...(you can't tax businesses more and give stimulus help to unmarried pregnant w/4th child, on welfare women)

Gave a pretty good overview of what is going on.

[calcowgirl]

I didn’t see that one but I’m glad to know that people are writing and distributing that kind of thing. So many folks don’t think beyond their basic daily influences to understand the overall impact.

[calcowgirl]

JeanFuller
Meeting with Assembly Republican Leadership team now...#TCOT
3 minutes ago from web

JeanFuller
Assembly Republicans set to Caucus at 12:15am. I’m gearing up for yet another long night. #TCOT
4 minutes ago from web

chuckdevore
GOP Assembly Caucus at 12:15 — I’m grabbing a bite to eat #TCOT
7 minutes ago from web

chuckdevore
Geez, still Dem caucus in Assembly, caucus in Senate - how much more talk is needed? We all know this tax will kill the economy #TCOT
9 minutes ago from web

[calcowgirl]

Get a load of this! How pathetic!

http://twitter.com/schwarzenegger

[calcowgirl]

capitolweekly
the bill is being reviewed by the administration. still not available to the press
less than a minute ago from mobile web

capitolweekly
another hour
1 minute ago from mobile web

KQED_CapNotes
Fun Fact: Senate rules require coat and tie for men in chamber. Except photographers. Radio reporters? Yep, wear a tie.
1 minute ago from TinyTwitter

capitolweekly
we’re back. right on time
2 minutes ago from mobile web

KQED_CapNotes
Pro tem Steinberg arrives on flr, chats with new GOP leader Hollingsworth.
2 minutes ago from TinyTwitter

KQED_CapNotes
The other man targeted for vote 27, Sen. Cox (R), sits alone.
3 minutes ago from TinyTwitter

KQED_CapNotes
Again, sense of the insiders is that this “solution” to impasse will require cobbling together of new D/R alliances. Hence the delays.
5 minutes ago from TinyTwitter

KQED_CapNotes
Most senators on floor, meandering. Noticeably not: pro tem Steinberg, Republican Maldonado.
7 minutes ago from TinyTwitter

KQED_CapNotes
Senate is coming back.
10 minutes ago from TinyTwitter

capitolweekly
caucus is over. Pavley says ‘it’s gunna be close’
13 minutes ago from mobile web

[calcowgirl]

KQED_CapNotes
But are being discussed. Also being considered is a smaller borrowing/transfer of prop 10 tobacco $, which is a key issue for Sen. Cox..
4 minutes ago from TinyTwitter

chuckdevore
Chuck the tax hike has been cut by a little over a billion, other small changes, taxes will go up tonight #TCOT. http://tinyurl.com/d86gej
5 minutes ago from twitterfeed

KQED_CapNotes
Also: 12 cents/gallon gas tax hike may be taken out, in exchange for increase in income tax surcharge proposal...Caution: these are not firm
7 minutes ago from TinyTwitter

capitolweekly
gas tax may be out. larger income tax surcharge being discussed
9 minutes ago from mobile web

KQED_CapNotes
Under discussion in addition to 3 govt reform measures: removal of Chiang furniture $ (if you don't know this, too much for a twtr)..
9 minutes ago from TinyTwitter

KQED_CapNotes
Ok folks...new info. Senate 1:30am session. And now several new items under discussion.
11 minutes ago from TinyTwitter

LATimeslocal
12 cent gas tax increase expunged from final budget deal. http://tr.im/gzhx
13 minutes ago from web

LATimeslocal
Tax on horse racetracks to be eliminated in final state budget deal. http://tr.im/gzhx
14 minutes ago from web

[calcowgirl]

capitolweekly
open primary will be on the June 2010 ballot -- too late for Maldo to benefit
6 minutes ago from mobile web

capitolweekly
gas tax is out. was valued at 500 million. gov will blue pencil 500 mil in prison money, according to Dem Senators
8 minutes ago from mobile web

[BookmanTheJanitor]

larger income tax surcharge being discussed

Oh brother...talk about driving business away. Our neighbor's company just moved out of California last week and took 75 jobs with them....almost exclusively because of taxes. what a nightmare.

[calcowgirl]

I don’t see workers being very happy about it either.

That surcharge was already at 5% (generating 3.5 billion in revenue). How much higher will they take it?

[CAluvdubya]

Just what we need...a twitter gov. or maybe a twittering gov. Yeah, that’s it! A twittering gubinator. sheesh