Posted on 04/03/2009 11:00:30 AM PDT by NormsRevenge
In a Capitol where groundbreaking achievements have been trumped by money woes in recent years, state officials are now hoping to broaden their ambitions to more than paying the state's bills, without breaking the bank. At their disposal is an unusual new resource: time.
That may be the only upside of the fiscal crisis. After lawmakers and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger came together on a spending plan in February -- instead of at the end of a hot Sacramento summer -- they now see in the eight months ahead the potential to solidify the state's fragile water supply, to improve foster care and to make gains on clean energy.
Prison costs, education and jobs also top the list of issues lawmakers hope to pick up that were largely swept aside as Republicans and Democrats argued over the budget.
"I ran for the Senate and I ran to be the leader not just to deal with crises but to actually help set a positive agenda," said Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento), .. "My view is, if we can resolve a $41-billion budget deficit, we can do just about anything."
In many areas, the Democrats who control the Legislature can pass new policy themselves -- with the blessing of Schwarzenegger, a moderate Republican. But they will need a deal with GOP lawmakers to approve a ballot measure to borrow money for the state's water system.
How much may be achieved rests heavily on voters. The budget -- already $8 billion out of balance, according to new projections -- will completely unravel if Californians reject ballot measures in the May 19 special election that would allow the state to divert money from programs for mental health and preschool programs, to borrow against the lottery, and more.
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
right below the title..
Legislators begin thinking about ways to solidify the state’s fragile water supply, improve foster care and achieve progress on clean energy, as well as addressing prison costs, education and jobs.
Mi$$ion Impo$$ible IV .. or TiTaN-icK III ? Coming Soon... any way ya ‘cut cut cut’ it.
Keep spending idiots.
Oh, wait ... I guess it doesn't, for them.
I thought that’s what they were doing all the long.
“I ran for the Senate and I ran to be the leader not just to deal with crises but to actually help set a positive agenda,” said Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento), .. “My view is, if we can resolve a $41-billion budget deficit, we can do just about anything.”
I think the first time I was that aware of Steinberg, he was deep in a proposal to force the state into some type of “tax jurisdictions” in an attempt to discourage businesses from decamping from Sacramento and other large cities for more tax-friendly neighboring cities. The proposal was, IIRC, intended to standardize the tax bite all through the zone. I guess his hometown of Sacramento ain’t that friendly to business and what shopping I have done in the area was actually in those outlier cities like Citrus Heights or Roseville. That’s his idea of a positive agenda.
Those ballot measures are going to lose big. Who wants to tax themselves? And it’s also a way to vote against Schwartzennegar.
Now this article says the Dems in the Legislature want to pay grandparents to take in kids whose parents can’t take care of them. A liberal told me the other day “I can't believe a state with so much money can be bankrupt”. I told her to go spend an hour at the DMV, but maybe I should have her read this article.
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