Arnold Schwarzenegger today called a special session on the state budget to begin December 6 – while he is still governor, but a month before Jerry Brown takes office:
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger will declare a fiscal emergency and call an emergency session of the incoming Legislature to address California’s massive budget deficit, a spokesman for the governor said Thursday. Schwarzenegger’s announcement comes one day after the state’s chief budget analyst said the shortfall has grown to $25.4 billion….
Schwarzenegger has less than two months left in office and the current crop of legislators do not depart until the end of this month. The incoming class of legislators is to be sworn in Dec. 6. The GOP governor indicated that there was no time to waste in addressing a budget shortfall that far surpassed estimates made by state officials days earlier.
Let’s be clear here. There is no reason whatsoever why Democrats ought to make a deal with a governor who would have less than a month left in his term. Californians have rejected Arnold Schwarzenegger and his policies by refusing to support his clone, Meg Whitman, and instead electing Jerry Brown. Along with Prop 25, it’s a pretty clear mandate that Californians want a Democratic budget.
Because the state is in no danger of running out of money by January, when Brown is sworn in as governor, the Legislature can wait until then to make mid-year adjustments to the state budget.
This is clearly Arnold Schwarzenegger’s last effort to leave California with even more austerity and suffering than he has already caused. Arnold has solidified his place as the worst governor in California history – the Legislature should not cause further damage to California by hastily cutting a deal with someone the public has thoroughly rejected.
Nice rant about Ahnuld -who you won’t have to worry about in less than 2 months 🙂
But the Legislature needs to be in session working on the Budget. We’re $6 BILLION short on the budget signed just last MONTH!
Gov.-elect Jerry Brown will be forced to confront the problem when he is sworn into office in January. He faces a constitutional deadline to present a budget just a week later.
So Ahnuld is doing the right thing. He’s not the policymaker here. He’s calling in the Democrat-controlled Legislature to do its job. No reason for the Legislature to deal with lame-duck Ahnuld. Just get a Budget!
Let’s always put the people ahead of perceptions of power and positioning. I want good Government!