Since members of the CDP’s Budget Rescue Team started picking up their phones to ask Republican legislators where they stand on the Democrats’ sensible budget proposals last month, we’ve started getting some interesting responses.
Volunteer dbunn contacted Senator Jeff Denham (R-Merced-Modesto-Salinas)’s office, where a staffer reportedly said, “Sen. Denham is opposed to the Dem budget proposals” — and went on to defend this anti-democratic “superminority” rule!
This kind of statement shows what we’ve been saying all along: that Republicans would rather hold the state hostage than work with Democrats to govern effectively, We have to continue to put the pressure on budget extremists like Jeff Denham and get all of his colleagues on the record to make sure they know people are watching them if they try to hold the state hostage again.
See our easy instructions, and our progress, below and get started today!
Will you call a Republican legislator today and urge them to tell us where they stand on the Democratic budget proposals? You can call any Republican in any district — see below for a grid of our progress and instructions for how to make your call. When you have their statement, report it by leaving a message in the comments to this thread or emailing [email protected]
There’s a lot working against us getting a fair budget deal, like the rule that lets a “superminority” of 1/3 plus one legislators veto any budget the majority approves. But there are some very concrete ways these calls help:
1. Maybe California can end up with a better budget. By getting Republicans on the record early, Democrats can be proactive in building our budget strategy and get Democrats and progressives the negotiating leverage we need.With Democratic budget proposals that add revenue to avoid cuts to poverty protections, and a Schwarzenegger cuts-only budget that would put an additional 430,000 people out of work, the more progress we can make here the better.
2. We can definitely build a strong case against Republicans. The past few years, Republicans have held our state hostage to their extreme anti-revenue ideology by holding up the budget. But right now, many Californians just think “the legislature” is to blame for our annual budget problems: They don’t realize the central role Republicans play
That’s not an accurate picture, and these statements will help us make the case that the budget is late again because Republicans are holding us hostage, not “because both sides couldn’t agree.”
3. We can definitely change things this fall. If we can educate the public on the reason our budget problems get worse every year (Republicans) and the conditions that enable it (a minority can veto the majority’s budget), we can take a Republican seat or two and pass Proposition 25 — the majority vote budget initiative.
See our easy instructions, and our progress, below and get started today!
Get a Republican On the Record About the Budget
  1. Select any Republican who hasn’t given a statement yet from one of the grids below.
  2. Call the Republican’s office and say something like this:
You: Hi, my name is [your name], and I’m calling to ask if [Republican’s name] is planning on supporting the budget Democrats have released in [Republican’s chamber — Assembly or Senate].
Them: No.
You: Can you tell me why [Republican] would rather hold out than support the Democrats’ budget?
Them: [Explanation]
  3. Post a comment below reporting who you called and what they said.
That’s it!
| Republican Assembly Member | District | Phone number | Plans to vote yes or no? | Statement they gave you |
| Anthony Adams | 59th District – Claremont | (916) 319-2059 | ||
| Joel Anderson | 77th District – El Cajon | (916) 319-2077 | ||
| Bill Berryhill | 26th District – Stockton | (916) 319-2026 | ||
| Tom Berryhill | 25th District – Modesto | (916) 319-2025 | ||
| Sam Blakeslee | 33rd District – San Luis Obispo | (916) 319-2033 | ||
| Connie Conway | 34th District – Visalia | (916) 319-2034 | Hasn’t decided yet | Needs follow-up |
| Paul Cook | 65th District – Yucaipa | (916) 319-2065 | ||
| Chuck DeVore | 70th District – Irvine | (916) 319-2070 | ||
| Nathan Fletcher | 75th District – San Diego | (916) 319-2075 | Hasn’t decided yet | “Will probably suggest changes.” Needs follow-up |
| Jean Fuller | 32nd District – Bakersfield | (916) 319-2032 | ||
| Ted Gaines | 4th District – Roseville | (916) 319-2004 | ||
| Martin Garrick | 74th District – Carlsbad | (916) 319-2074 | ||
| Danny D. Gilmore | 30th District – Hanford | (916) 319-2030 | ||
| Curt Hagman | 60th District – Chino Hills | (916) 319-2060 | ||
| Diane L. Harkey | 73rd District – Oceanside | (916) 319-2073 | ||
| Kevin Jeffries | 66th District – Murrieta | (916) 319-2066 | ||
| Steve Knight | 36th District – Palmdale | (916) 319-2036 | ||
| Dan Logue | 3rd District – Chico | (916) 319-2003 | ||
| Jeff Miller | 71st District – Mission Viejo | (916) 319-2071 | ||
| Brian Nestande | 64th District – Riverside | (916) 319-2064 | ||
| Roger Niello | 5th District – Sacramento | (916) 319-2005 | No | From a mailer: “there will not be votes amongst legislative Republicans for new taxes [on oil companies extracting oil in California]” |
| Jim Nielsen | 2nd District – Redding | (916) 319-2002 | ||
| Chris Norby | 72nd District – Brea | (916) 319-2072 | ||
| Jim Silva | 67th District – Huntington Beach | (916) 319-2067 | ||
| Cameron Smyth | 38th District – Santa Clarita | (916) 319-2038 | Hasn’t decided yet | “We don’t want to hold up the budget again this year.” Needs follow-up. |
| Audra Strickland | 37th District – Westlake Village | (916) 319-2037 | ||
| Van Tran | 68th District – Costa Mesa | (916) 319-2068 | ||
| Michael N. Villines | 29th District – Fresno | (916) 319-2029 |
| Republican Senator | District | Phone number | Plans to vote yes or no? | Statement they gave you |
| Dennis Hollingsworth | 36th District – Temecula, El Cajon | (916) 651-4036 | ||
| Sam Aanestad | 4th District – Nevada City, Chico, Redding | (916) 651-4004 | ||
| Roy Ashburn | 18th District – Bakersfield | (916) 651-4018 | ||
| Dave Cogdill | 14th District – Fresno, Ripon | (916) 651-4014 | ||
| Dave Cox | 1st District – Roseville, Jackson, Quincy | (916) 651-4001 | Doubtful | “Dave does not support raising any taxes or fees,” but his staffer could not specifically say which programs he would cut. (from Budget Rescue Team member Gina M. via email) Update: Since this information was reported, Dave Cox has passed away. Our condolences to his family. |
| Jeff Denham | 12th District – Merced, Modesto, Salinas | (916) 651-4012 | Qualified no | “Sen. Denham is opposed to the Dem budget proposals.” Likes the 1/3 rule. |
| Robert Dutton | 31st District – Rancho Cucamonga, Riverside | (916) 651-4031 | ||
| Bill Emmerson | 37th District – Riverside, Palm Desert | (916) 651-4037 | ||
| Tom Harman | 35th District – Costa Mesa | (916) 651-4035 | ||
| Bob Huff | 29th District – Walnut | (916) 651-4029 | ||
| George Runner | 17th District – Antelope Valley, Victorville, Santa Clarita | (916) 651-4017 | ||
| Tony Strickland | 19th District – Simi Valley, Santa Barbara | (916) 651-4019 | ||
| Mimi Walters | 33rd District – Laguna Hills | (916) 651-4033 | ||
| Mark Wyland | 38th District – San Juan Capistrano, Carlsbad | (916) 651-4038 |