CA: Governor to declare emergency, bypass Legislature to help cities

Sac Bee ^ | 12/17/03 | Tom Chorneau - AP

[NormsRevenge]

To make up for money lost when he cut the car tax, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger will use new extraordinary powers to declare a financial emergency and bypass the Legislature to provide millions of dollars due cities and counties, administration sources said Wednesday.

[forester]

Senate Pro Tem John Burton, D-San Francisco, could not be reached for comment but an aide to the governor said Burton had been notified about the action.

What are the odds that Burton cut this deal with Arnold during the budget discussions last week? Something along the lines of "We are not going to take the heat for cutting these programs Arnold, if you want to cut them, do it yourself."

[RS]

"First he offers a series of truly lame cuts of some $4.6 billion..."

Well lets see... There is a bill put forth in the legislature to require the Gov to cut expences by 6.7% as an attempt to fix the problem, so maybe a 5% cut to start is not all that bad for being in office for 30 days !

Long Live the Governator !

[bonesmccoy]

GAD DARN RIGHT!

WHO IS ADVISING THIS GUY?

The way to cut the medical costs for the State is to cut the state Medi-Cal budget and slam the hospitals with budget cuts. I'm fricking sick and tired of seeing hospital exec salaries in the one million bracket while they make 20-40 million dollar construction projects that lay marble and granite flooring in the lobbies. Earthquake retrofitting is not supposed to create brass handles for the executive dining facilities in every hospital in the state.

Instead of capping the Healthy Families program, they should be EXPANDING the program because it causes families to pay for at least part of their own care and premium.

DECREASE enrollment in Medi-Cal and shift to Healthy Families.

[SierraWasp]

Well of course! They're settin him up, BIGTIME!!!

They've gone from a total monopoly of statewide elective offices in 2002 to an unprecedented Gubernatorial Recall of a Gubernatorial disaster! They're not gonna DO anything!!!

They're gonna just lie there like "dead weight" for the weight lifter to do all the heavy lifting until they can demonize and destroy him as they feel we did to their Dufuss!

They think they're gonna play political judo and just chuckle as Arnold and those stupid Republicans go right over the cliff with him!!!

[forester]

They're gonna just lie there like "dead weight" for the weight lifter to do all the heavy lifting until they can demonize and destroy him as they feel we did to their Dufuss!

Keep in mind that Burton hated Davis, so he is not completely stupid. His moral compass however, is damaged. Being a liberal allows one to eat their own for personal gain. So, I am not ready to say that I understand what is gonna happen next. Here is an e-mail I received regarding budget cuts at CDF:

CDF BUDGET CUTS Resource Management is going to take the brunt of the budget cuts in CDF, and maybe all of the cuts according to my information. What I hear is that only 104 of the 289 positions will remain after the cuts. Don't know the details, but it isn't going to be pretty! I think that you may wish to make some contacts to ensure that your operations aren't adversely affected to any great extent by these cuts. I'd bet that FRAP will be essentially eliminated.

With that magnitude of cuts, whole programs may disappear. With the critical issues in Southern California, I'd think that their functions will be or at least should be left alone. I imagine that forest pest management staffing will be affected, but don't know to what extent. Forest Practice since it's by far the largest function has be be hit very hard. State Forests since it's supposed to produce income should be hit only minimally I hope. Veg. Management is important, but likely to be hit. The Nursery Program is likely history. The Archaelogy Program is likely to be hit hard. Urban Forestry and Forest Advisory is likely to disappear except for special funds. Merely speculation on my part, but thought you should be advised in case you're concerned. Final decisions will apparently be made by end of month, so any input needs to be made prior to then.

Internally, CDF folks are are spinning it that the positions will be transfered to the fire side. Denial ain't just a river in Egypt. So, were not in the clear yet, even though the system is crashing.

[Let's Roll]

And no one ever suggests and that every govt agency cut their budget by 10% - everyone. And then next year, the fluff - enviro boondoggles, artsy fartsy etc. cut another 20%.

[RS]

"With the critical issues in Southern California, I'd think that their functions will be or at least should be left alone."

Down here where everything burned they are saying that the forest will be closed to the public for at least a year - so there are a lot of positions that will be sitting around doing nothing for a while...

[forester]

If burned over private lands are salvage logged, CDF inspectors will be needed to oversee the logging operations. I wish I had contacts down there, there is virtually no work on private land up here.

[Duramaximus]

"Instead of crying, the cities and counties should eliminate ALL SOCIAL PROGRAMS and fire the people that administrate them, problem solved!"

You are absolutely correct. If Arnold expects to get anywhere in reducing this state's debt he best open his eyes to the major players.

Namely the welfare and illegal alien debacles.

As it sits now... I will vote NO on Arnold's $15,000,000,000.00 bond measure.

[BJungNan]

So how did these cities manage to survive just several months ago - before Grayout tripled the car tax?

I'm not certain and perhaps others will have the exact answer but I believe when Davis put in the car tax it was to replace money he cut off to cities that used to come from Sacramento.

The car tax goes to localities. Davis increased it as an offset so they would not have a drop in revenues.

Again, I don't have details on this, only what I think I remember hearing in news accounts. Someone help out here.

[tubebender]

My understanding of the current VLF was to replace money taken from cities and counties due to the budget crunch of Davis. And those moneys were given to the cities and counties in the first place after Pee Wilson cut the VLF fees by 2/3. And those moneys were given to cities and counties when the state raided property taxes after prop 13 passed. Or something like that...

[RS]

"If burned over private lands are salvage logged, CDF inspectors will be needed to oversee the logging operations. "

Just curious - what is it that they have to inspect ?

I've never heard of any logging ever going on down here, so they would have to ship anything they picked up north - I don't see where it would make any sense economically. With all the restrictions on doing anything with land down here, I'd me surprised if the majority isn't just left where it lies.

[cartoonistx]

[RS]

Here's the deal again...

http://www.igs.berkeley.edu/library/CA%20vehicle%20license%20fee.html

[NormsRevenge]

LOLOL .. Thanks !

Season's Cheers!!!

[BJungNan]

That certainly helps. Good bit of information. Thanks. Sign on, FReep and learn.

[Carry_Okie]

Yup, the State spends money like it's free on frivolous bureaucratic "wants" but cuts essential services at the first hint of restraint. Never mind layoffs, public officials who do that should be jailed for malfeasance.

[ridesthemiles]

And no one ever suggests and that every govt agency cut their budget by 10% - everyone. And then next year, the fluff - enviro boondoggles, artsy fartsy etc. cut another 20%.

AMEN!!! Clean out the deadwood and some of the ones still pretending to work and breathe. Then let them prove all over again what they do, why they are needed, and that they are talented enough for the job. This system is often easier than trying to sort out the flyshit from the pepper. New Broom Sweeps Clean....

[forester]

CDF inspects logging on private lands to make sure that the bulldozers don't drive down streams, roads are properly drained to prevent erosion, etc. In the case of small landowners down south, the State Forest Practice Law prohibits destructive logging practices on private land. Violations of the regs are prosecuted either civil or criminal (only State in the country BTW).

I saw log trucks heading north on the 210 near Pasadena last March. I've heard that sawmills in northern Cal and southern Oregon are gonna rail the logs up from So Cal, just like the Apaches did when their reservation burned last year. As for the National Forests, you're right, it will probably rot or burn up in the next fire.