CA: Senate budget stalemate underscores depth of partisan rancor

Sac Bee ^ | 6/25/03 | Dan Walters

[NormsRevenge]

Traditionally, the partisan fires have burned more intensely in the Assembly than in the Senate, so budget squabbles have often been resolved in the upper house first. But two years ago, when the latest budget crisis first began to emerge, the pattern was broken. Rather than forge a bipartisan deal with Republican senators, the Senate's Democratic leadership and Democratic Gov. Gray Davis adopted a pickoff strategy. With 26 Democrats in the Senate, they needed just one Republican to break ranks for a two-thirds margin. That one was Maurice Johannessen, a Redding businessman who, after leaving the Senate, was named by Davis as the state's veterans affairs secretary.

[NormsRevenge]

"When will this budget crisis be resolved? Probably not until the state shuts down for a lack of money, and with a recent emergency loan, that's at least two months away."

Thanks Dan. That long, huh? LOL

Ping

[joltinjoe]

I believe the author of the article is a liar. This years budget is larger than last years, so there are no spending cuts.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Just posted an article from the Los Angeles Daily News on this also!

calgov2002:

calgov2002: for old calgov2002 articles. 

calgov2002: for new calgov2002 articles. 

Other Bump Lists at: Free Republic Bump List Register

[Grampa Dave]

In about 3 months will be a perfect time for the state to start ungoing a shut down.

The recall will be in force.

A shut down will signal Wall Street to step in and take over the budget like they did with NYC in a similiar situation.

Then even the rats will be turning on Davis as their perverted voters will not be getting our tax $'s for their life styles.

Maybe we will have a couple of electicity blackouts to ice the cake.

If the recall election is this November, all of the above will be perfect timing!

[Semper Paratus]

How come when repubs stand together its partisan obstruction, when dems doing its taking a principled stand?

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Kind of like the PERFECT STORM with the DEMONCRATS IN THE CENTER!!!!

[Saundra Duffy]

Assemblyman Steve "bulldog" Samuelian will hang tough for the Valley. Yahoo!!!!!!

[Grampa Dave]

The Perfect Storm will get better and better.

This is why I hope that the recall election is held this November so the moderates can recall what Davis has done to them.

[Grampa Dave]

The Perfect Storm will get better and better.

This is why I hope that the recall election is held this November so the moderates can recall what Davis has done to them.

[Grampa Dave]

The Perfect Storm will get better and better.

This is why I hope that the recall election is held this November so the moderates can recall what Davis has done to them.

[pushforbush]

You are correct.
There are no spending cuts.
This year's budget proposed by Davis is larger than last year's budget. The Democrats in the Senate are not even willing to go with the Davis budget, they want a budget with even greater spending.
The media keeps repeating this lie, except for Daniel Weintraub, a Sacramento Bee columnist.
http://www.sacbee.com/static/weblogs/insider/archives/2003_06.html

"Truth in budgeting
I’ve been trying for a couple of weeks now to answer this question: How much might the state spend next year compared to this year, on an apples to apples basis? There are so many shifts, transfers, loans and gimmicks in the budget that it’s difficult to tell. But the Assembly Republican Caucus has offered an analysis that seems right to me. I’ll put it out there as the working assumption until someone knocks it down or comes up with something better.

The bottom line: General fund spending this year will be $78.9 billion. Spending on the equivalent programs next year will be $82.2 billion, after making all the required adjustments to keep the story straight. Obviously that’s a little different from the line we’re hearing from the administration, that they’re making the biggest year-to-year cuts in modern times.

Here’s how to follow the pea. Start with the conference committee's official spending total as of June 7, which was $72.2 billion. Then add the following:

Realignment (shifting programs to counties and raising taxes to pay for them) $1.7 billion
Medi-Cal accounting gimmick: 1.0 billion
Raise the vehicle license fee: $4.2 billion
Various fund shifts and fees: $1.3 billion
Borrowing to pay pension obligations: $900 million
Deferring payments to teachers retirement fund: $500 million
New federal funds: $250 million

Each of these moves technically reduces the level of general fund spending in the budget without reducing the real amount the state is spending on services. So when the gov says he is asking for $18 billion in cuts and $8 billion in taxes, that’s not exactly true. Far from it, in fact."

[pushforbush]

You are correct.
There are no spending cuts.
This year's budget proposed by Davis is larger than last year's budget. The Democrats in the Senate are not even willing to go with the Davis budget, they want a budget with even greater spending.
The media keeps repeating this lie, except for Daniel Weintraub, a Sacramento Bee columnist.
http://www.sacbee.com/static/weblogs/insider/archives/2003_06.html

"Truth in budgeting
I’ve been trying for a couple of weeks now to answer this question: How much might the state spend next year compared to this year, on an apples to apples basis? There are so many shifts, transfers, loans and gimmicks in the budget that it’s difficult to tell. But the Assembly Republican Caucus has offered an analysis that seems right to me. I’ll put it out there as the working assumption until someone knocks it down or comes up with something better.

The bottom line: General fund spending this year will be $78.9 billion. Spending on the equivalent programs next year will be $82.2 billion, after making all the required adjustments to keep the story straight. Obviously that’s a little different from the line we’re hearing from the administration, that they’re making the biggest year-to-year cuts in modern times.

Here’s how to follow the pea. Start with the conference committee's official spending total as of June 7, which was $72.2 billion. Then add the following:

Realignment (shifting programs to counties and raising taxes to pay for them) $1.7 billion
Medi-Cal accounting gimmick: 1.0 billion
Raise the vehicle license fee: $4.2 billion
Various fund shifts and fees: $1.3 billion
Borrowing to pay pension obligations: $900 million
Deferring payments to teachers retirement fund: $500 million
New federal funds: $250 million

Each of these moves technically reduces the level of general fund spending in the budget without reducing the real amount the state is spending on services. So when the gov says he is asking for $18 billion in cuts and $8 billion in taxes, that’s not exactly true. Far from it, in fact."