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by Mona Field, Professor of Political Science
There is no good news about
our state's fiscal crisis. We know the damage it has already done
to our students. And this is just the start.
When tax
revenues are counted, and the May revision comes in (approximately May
15), the reality of our situation may actually be worse than it appeared
in the Governor's original budget in January.
We are told
that the Department of Finance is "praying"— does that give
you any reassurance about the revenue projections they developed last
fall?
So, get
ready for a long, hot, contentious, partisan summer in Sacramento.
The Democrats are ready to pass a budget with a combination of tax
increases and cuts. The Republicans want no tax
increases. Democrats are short of the 2/3 vote needed by six votes
in the Assembly and two votes in the State Senate. In other words,
if a total of eight Republicans remain unwilling to compromise,
it's gridlock for our state.
The
official deadline for the budget (including, naturally, our college's
apportionments and the final word on student fees) is June 15
for the Legislature and June 30 for the Governor. But the betting
pool in Sacramento indicates that folks inside the system think that it
won't be completed until late fall.
The folks
in the pool are the hardworking civil servants and political staff
who keep the legislature functioning, all of whom are going to miss a
lot of paychecks if the state has no budget for the July 1 start of the
fiscal year.
I am sure
it's no surprise that the elected officials themselves get paychecks even if the state budget is months late.
We can do
something about the state budget mess. It won't fix this year's
delayed budget, and it won't solve the financial problems of our state,
but it will keep the partisan bickering and dithering way down in future
years.
The
answer: A ballot initiative supported by our union, California
Federation of Teachers, the larger labor movement, the League of Women
Voters and many other groups who want good government. The measure
will have begun circulating for signatures by the time you read this.
If enough
signatures are gathered and validated, the measure will be on the March
2004 ballot. It would do the following to prevent the kinds of
budget messes we have today:
¾ Penalize
lawmakers for not meeting their constitutional deadlines by taking away their pay and per diems until
a budget is passed.
¾ Change
the requirement for the Legislature from 2/3 to 55 percent for budget
passage. Note: only two other states have a 2/3 requirement
for a state budget to pass out of the legislature.
It's about
time the people of California got a legislature that can create a budget
in a timely manner without collapsing under the weight of Republican vs
Democrat ideological gameplaying.
Watch for more
news on the Budget Accountability Act of 2004. And perhaps folks will
want to join the Department of Finance in their prayers for an improved
revenue flow to our state coffers! &
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