Posted on 05/30/2002 12:04:45 PM PDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach
Edited on 04/13/2004 2:40:20 AM PDT by Jim Robinson. [history]
Sacramento -- An appeals court on Wednesday severely restricted the state's ability to spend money -- including financing for schools -- if the governor has not signed a new budget by the July 1 deadline.
The California Court of Appeal in Los Angeles also said state workers could be paid only the federal minimum wage if the Legislature and Gov. Gray Davis fail to come up with a budget when the new fiscal year begins.
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
It takes a 2/3 vote of the legislature to pass the budget, and there are enough Republicans left to block that. I hope they take use the advantage that this ruling has handed them.
Oh, but that's exactly why it is funny. The thought of that completely unacceptable outcome and the overwhelming backlash by Californians against the politicians if it happens is too delicious to contemplate. The politicians don't DARE let it happen, or there would be crowds with pitchforks outside the capitol in Sacramento.
If the deadline of July 1 passes, and people actually think they are making only $5 an hour, Davis will have to call out the National Guard. Within hours, they'll pass a budget with wages paid in full, and nobody's paycheck will ever be cut.
So, relax and enjoy the political pressure being put on a bunch of Democrats. This is great!
Unfortunately you're correct. The Republicans such as my Assemblyman have absolutely NO power in this single party dictatorship. The Dims will pass their corrupt budget on the backs of taxpayers and businesses.
California: PG&E challenge may slow Calif. power bonds
SAN FRANCISCO, May 29 (Reuters) - Pacific Gas & Electric Co. (NYSE:PCG - News) has challenged an order by state regulators needed for California to launch an $11.1 billion bond issue to help recoup the cost of the state's emergency power purchases last year.
The challenge, made late on Tuesday by the PG&E Corp. subsidiary, California's biggest utility, could delay the bond issue, one of the largest municipal bond sales ever, credit analysts said.
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See the Link above for more.
Davis and the Legislature are now really in a jam -- I think!!
I wouldn't get too worked up about it. Doubtless if there's a period where state workers (I'd put that in quotes, but I'm feeling charitable) are paid minimum wage, the legislature will pass a bill to pay them the difference once the budget is passed.
Holdup Number One is that they need a 2/3 vote in both houses to pass a budget, and the Democrats are 4 votes shy of that in the Assembly and 1 vote shy in the State Senate. The 4 Republicans who caved in last year were pummelled by their constituents; 2 of them were defeated this year in primaries, and all 4 will be out of office after November. So it's going to be much harder (but unfortunately not impossible) to get enough Republicans to break ranks and pass any budget that includes tax increases.
Holdup Number 2 is that Davis is on bad terms with a lot of the Democrats in the legislature, especially Senate Majority leader Richard Polanco. And there's no politically good way to solve this year's huge budget deficit. The Dems in the legislature want higher taxes instead of spending cuts, Davis wants to fudge the whole thing with minor cuts, higher taxes, and huge amounts of borrowing, and the Reps want the Dems to fight it out among themselves.
It's simple. The bank is empty. They need to figure out how to get the bank to borrow more money so that they can rob it again.
Considering how many State employees there are in Scareatomato they won't have to drive far. Turnout should be good. The pubbies will have to play it very carefully to make it clear whose problem this is else the media will paint them as spoilers. I'd give the Rats all the rope they need to hang themselves.
What makes you think under all that pressure that they wont just raise taxes?
My guess is that our wimpy Republicans will give it to him!
Exactly. The Republicans will have an extraordinary amount of power, but using it in a way that prevents them from being portrayed as the sole obstacle to a budget solution when the stakes are this high is absolutely critical.
Great drama.
That requires Republican concurrence as well. The Republican reaction to Davis's smoke and mirrors proposed budget (which included many tax hikes) was very cool. We'll see how committed the Republicans really are to fiscal responsibility.
Thank you.
Yes, I was thinking of Rose Bird and that ilk.
Plus, I just assumed the state Supreme Court was a bunch of jack-in-the-box clowns because it's California.
It's gonna be fun to watch the rats squirm. They will undoubtedly try to nail us taxpayers for the bulk of the deficit, but the pols will squirm over it, and we won't forget it come November (and they know it!).
Aha, this is going to be fun.
The only caveat is that those four GOPers now have nothing to lose. If, for example, they get under-the-table promises of cushy well-paying job appointments from Davis...
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