Unions seeking to delay ballot measure on 'rainy day fund'

SacBee: Capitol Alert ^ | 9/9/11 | Laurel Rosenhall

[SmithL]

Public employee unions never liked former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's plan to ask voters to create a "rainy day fund" that would give the state a stronger reserve.

Today, on the last day of the legislative session, they showed up in force to urge lawmakers to unravel Schwarzenegger's plan to put the question to voters next year.

Lobbyists for the state's largest public employee unions -- representing nurses, teachers, state workers and others -- made their case during the first public hearing on a bill that was written late last night and may run through the entire law-making process in less than 24 hours.

Senate Bill 202, by Democrat Loni Hancock of Berkeley, received a 13-minute hearing of the Assembly Elections Committee today, held during the lower house's lunch break and announced with less than two hours' notice.

It would do two things unions want: Delay a public vote on creating a rainy day fund until 2014, and require that all citizen-driven initiatives go on the ballot during a general election

. . . Public employee unions saw another benefit in the bill: not tying up any state money right now.

[Windflier]

Governor Moonbeam sent a delegation to Texas sometime in the last year to closely study the Texas model and discover what this state does that has caused it to be so successful.

That they're rejecting the concept of a Rainy Day Fund tells me that the movers and shakers are doubling down on what got them into their mess in the first place. Sad.