(Forgot to promote – promoted by SFBrianCL)
UPDATE: No deal yet, but the recent stories say that it’s getting close.
“We’re very close to coming to an agreement,” Schwarzenegger said Thursday afternoon, just before settling into one of a string of meetings he has conducted in his office the past four days with Democratic and Republican leaders.
“We have some hurdles to overcome and some obstacles to overcome,” Schwarzenegger said, “but I have great hopes.”
The Senate and Assembly had scheduled late sessions Thursday but adjourned so the governor and legislative leaders could continue talks on a compromise package to build highways, schools and levees.
The Assembly adjourned until Monday, but told members to be on call through the weekend. The Senate was to return today.State Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata, D-Oakland, promised a vote by midnight tonight.(Sac Bee 3/10/06)
It looks like a deal for the bond package is getting close. If it happens soon, it will be able to get on the June primary ballot (typically a better time to pass these sorts of things.) The deadline for the June ballot is tomorrow (3/10/06), but it looks like legislative leaders and the Governor are going to be able to come to an agreement.
Hat tip to Julia Rosen, especially for the visual of somebody walking around in a duck suit. That made me laugh, mostly because it really describes the craziness of the current atmosphere in Sacramento. The Bee provides more details of the proposed deal:
The elements most discussed seem to be these: education (state funds to match local funds to build schools); water and flood control (regional water projects, levee rapairs, etc.); transportation (a balance between transit and roadway projects); housing (projects targeting low-income residents); and natural resources (funds for coastal preservation and state conservancies).
There are other bond ideas that may not make this package – funds for state prisons, county jails, courthouses and seismic retrofit fixes for hospitals. If those items don’t make it into the package, the governor and Legislature are likely doing the state a considerable service. There are some serious questions about making such investments with state funds that could go to other needs. Beware of last-minute desires to end a debate on, say, water needs, by simply throwing more money at it.(SacBee 3/9/06)
Well, obviously this plan isn’t quite the grand dream Ahnold had in mind, but I actually think this could be a good thing. We desperately need infrastructure improvements. The levees need more attention, and affordable housing is a laudable goal. And the costs are pegged at a more reasonable figure…always an important feature when it comes to my analysis.
On the down side, high speed rail keeps raising its head. Personally, I think the costs would outweigh the benefits on this one. We have a very functional air service between the major regions of California, do we need the high speed rail? Would enough people ride it to make it worthwhile? I’m not so sure.
And then there’s the political aspect. A success in the bond deal would give Arnold a big boost in the general election. That is why he really wants this on the June ballot. But for Dems, it can’t be seen as a good thing to hold up infrastructure improvement. It be like insulting Mom’s apple pie.
As for what was left out, I’m ok with not building more prisons. We need to get rid of 3 strikes and other BS like that which is filling them up. However, we do need more courts. The court system is working on a fraction of the budget they should be getting. Also, water storage is one of those big concerns that eventually we will have to deal with. Southern California’s water needs aren’t just going to go away. Someday we are going to have to deal with water concerns in a more meaningful way. Apparently today is not that day. But, that’s ok, they did what was possible, for now.