I’m headed to a budget event hosted by Next10 here in San Francisco shortly, and before I head off, I think it was worth discussing how tumultuous even the best case scenario is at this point.
So, what is that best case scenario? Somehow, Jerry manages to find the few votes that he needs for the so-called “tax bridge” and then we head to the ballot in September. Yes, September. What is certain to be a pretty low turnout election, we somehow have to make people understand just how important this revenue really is. And that isn’t going to be easy.
As Gov. Jerry Brown presses Republicans for a mid-September election on taxes, a major Democratic labor ally warned Wednesday that going to the electorate is “terribly fraught with peril.”
David Kieffer, executive director of the Service Employees International Union California State Council, instead wants lawmakers to reach a bipartisan agreement to extend taxes in the Legislature.
He said his group is not obligated to finance a fall tax campaign and would have to weigh that multimillion-dollar expense against spending in 2012 legislative races.(SacBee)
Let’s be honest, we do not have an unlimited pool of campaign funds, and the Democrats haven’t been exactly the greatest partner for labor or some other constituencies during the last few years of slash and burn. But yes, they could finance the campaign. Or they could sit it out and watch as a crisis really ensues.
And that’s the best case. Yay!
here we are again running up against the constitutional deadline for the budget and there is no deal in place. Ahhhh bring back 1986.
Why do we have to take a tax package to the voters in the month of September when only 25% of the electorate will show up….the grey haired cranky Prop 13 brigade most likely…because the special interest influence peddlers in Sacramento refused to make a deal in time to get this to the voters in June. Faced with November armageddon we now have a deal of sorts, but is it too late?
If the numbnuts who pull the strings in this state had agreed to pension reform, CEQA reform, a spending cap and a reasonable tax package back in January we would already be on our way to recovery…but noooo they had to grandstand and flex their muscles and once again drive the State of California to the brink.
If your major “Democratic labor ally” wants to find someone to blame for the September clusterfark that awaits us, he/she should look in the mirror.
“You CAN NOT DEPEND on the Good Will or Reasonablness of Republicans”
funny, they say exactly the same thing about Democrats…and people ask why California is farcked.
The deal that is on the table today could have been cut six months ago, but labor said no pension reform, enviros said no CEQA reform, the social justice mob said no spending cap, and they all demanded more taxes.
THey had to grandstand to appease their bases and look where we are now. We’ll probably get nothing but an all cuts budget when the tax measures fail in September.
Thanks a friggin bunch.
to let the electorate taste a bit of life without taxes, before a november general election. and i say this as someone exposed in many different ways to the clusterfuck of an all cuts budget.
special elections etc. cant we just have elections set for May and November and if a congressman dies, or an initiative happens etc thats when its resolved. Predictable same day election every six months would be a nice way to go.
You honestly think there’s no support in CA for reforming CalPERS CalSTRS???? regulatory reform??? for a spending cap??? you need to get out of the hiring hall more often and talk to real people.
If pension reform went on the ballot tomorrow it would get 70% of the vote, new taxes probably around 40%. If you want the taxes you have to tie them to the reforms. Its called compromise….its what we have too little of in California. There are too many jihadists and not enough pragmatists and the end result is paralysis.
i will not support the taxes if this is the deal that is before us (the electorate) in september or whenever.
#1 this is basically a continuation of the regressive taxes arnold, steinberg & bass agreed to that led us here to where we r today. i dont support regressive taxes/increases.
#2 the thing that makes me the most upset is this stuff about pensions, CEQA, “burdensome/jobkiller regulation, etc. these issues r NOT germane to budget/fiscal issues. the dems did this in 2009 & now they r doing it again. its pathetic, im so glad im not a democrat anymore. this is like watching a battered wife just keep taking it-and letting her children take it too. a line MUST be drawn that we will not put up with this kind of hostage taking.
#3 spending caps-how bout a promise that we follow the laws & provide the svcs we r obligated too? that means appropriating the money & doing whatever else needs to be done to achieve what these laws say we should be doing. if all u r obsessed about is $$$ why even bother spending anything-the goal is about keeping the promises we make & fulfilling them. this state & its govt clearly knows the price of everything & the value of nothing.
a whole other issue-i was hoping brown had wisened up since the last time he was governor-well he has not.
I will not vote for evil regressive taxes! I will not vote for evil socialist taxes! I will not vote for pension reform! I will not vote for CEQA reform! I will not vote for anything goddammit!
THis State is circling the drain and when you read sites like this it gives you a good understanding why.