Governor says budget ball is in lawmakers' court

Sacramento Bee ^ | 5/16/8 | Kevin Yamamura

[SmithL]

He defends budget plan as Democrats criticize its cuts and Republicans say an option to raise sales tax is 'dead on arrival.'

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger brushed aside criticism of his latest budget plan Thursday and said lawmakers now bear responsibility for resolving the state's $15.2 billion budget deficit.

The Republican governor, speaking with The Bee's editorial board, lamented he had "negotiated with myself" for the last five months because legislative leaders did not meet with him to discuss the budget.

"The reality of it is that the ball is in their court," Schwarzenegger said. "The more they scream, the deeper they bury themselves. Because in the end, they have to meet somewhere in the middle to get this budget done."

The Republican governor's budget plan proposes cuts in social service programs and borrowing against future California Lottery revenue to bridge the $15.2 billion gap in the state's $101.8 billion general fund budget for the next fiscal year. If voters do not approve borrowing against the lottery, the state would impose a temporary one-cent sales tax to raise money.

Lawmakers in both parties rebuked Schwarzenegger's plan for different reasons.

Democrats oppose the governor's spending cuts and said that his plan banks on unreasonable assumptions about the lottery. They also attacked the governor's plan to establish a new reserve fund and establish executive powers to cut spending automatically in bad years.

Republicans said Schwarzenegger's sales-tax proposal, even as a contingency, is dead on arrival.

The governor, now in his fifth budget negotiation, chalked up those critical remarks to the "Kabuki" that takes place every year in the Capitol.

"This is our budget, I'm proud of our budget under the circumstances,"

[Brilliant]

The CA Dems are going to trash the CA economy and budget, then they are going to blame Arnold. Let’s face it, CA’s problems can’t be fixed. Time to withdraw the troops and let them deal with their own problems.

[NormsRevenge]

budget ball

—

make that
Da WRecKing BALL!

Jaaa!

There ought to be a politico ‘lemon law’ on the books..

Oh wait ,there is, it’s call a Recall. Heck Recall ‘ em all, except for the Republicans who do get it.