“All along, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger thought he had Maldonado’s vote in his pocket...”
I’m confused... If Arnold doesn’t want this budget, then why doesn’t he veto it?
Arnold wanted the budget (an even bigger one, actually).
Arnold wanted the open primary, too.
This was all a charade by the Trojan Horse wing of the GOP.
http://www.contracostatimes.com/lisavorderbrueggen/ci_11759514
Sen. Abel Maldonado, a moderate Central Coast Republican, broke with his party and demanded the Legislature let voters decide the open primary question in return for his critical vote on the budget.
Horse-trading for votes is disturbing on many levels, but the open primary was headed for the ballot anyway. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger reportedly told legislators that he would spend millions of dollars bringing it to the ballot through an initiative.
In fact, one of the seltzer pills offered to gagging Democrats was the idea that it would allow them to put the measure on the election of their choice — June 2010 — rather than an earlier date that could put it in play in the governor’s race.