Jerry Brown struggles on three fronts on state budget

Sacramento Bee ^ | 5/23/12 | Dan Walters

[SmithL]

As the state budget's deficit widens, Gov. Jerry Brown is being thrust into a three-front political battle.

He must not only persuade voters to pass his sales and income tax package, but, implicitly, persuade them to reject a rival tax measure just for schools.

Meanwhile, Brown is pressing liberal Democratic legislators to ignore their political DNA by making deeper cuts in health and welfare programs, not only to close the deficit but to bolster appeals to voters for new taxes.

"It's not easy," Brown told hundreds of business and civic figures gathered Tuesday in Sacramento for the annual Host Breakfast.

"We're getting there," Brown continued. "We're making the cuts. But we also need the revenues."

Brown had been cultivating business groups to support his original tax plan, but they cooled when he shifted gears to satisfy rivals on the left, reducing the sales tax element and sharply boosting income taxes on high-income taxpayers, including many attendees at Tuesday's event.

Despite Brown's assertion, cuts in welfare benefits, medical care for the poor, child care, developmental disability services, and in-home care for the aged and disabled are a tough sell among liberal legislators who support those services.

Brown's new budget counts on those reductions to narrow the deficit by more than $1.5 billion but legislative leaders have said that softening their impact is their highest priority, characterizing them as "life-and-death" issues.

[RC2]

The best thing for California is to cut the state in half. Let Jerry Brown have Southern California.

[WKUHilltopper]

“It’s not easy,” Brown told hundreds of business and civic figures gathered Tuesday in Sacramento for the annual Host Breakfast.”

Yes it is Brown. It is easy!! Does not your own people just claim “spend, spend, spend, spend” as a means of fiscal success? Just keep spending...it’ll magically fix itself. Quit being an intolerant, hateful and inconsistent unbeliever in your own party’s BS...embrace the fantasy.

[blueunicorn6]

Old Jer asks his dog Sutter for advice.....

“Well, Sutter, it just seems like we’re digging ourselves deeper and deeper in the hole. What do you think I should do?”

“Woof”.

“That’s it! Brilliant! Get a bigger shovel!”

[bkopto]

The best thing for California is to cut the state in half. Let Jerry Brown have Southern California.

I'd say split CA with a line running north-south and let the dems have the western part.

[12chachacha]

I will never forget seeing Brown give a speech to a group of Hispanics right before the election and saying “The first thing I am going to do after I resolve the budget issue, which will take two months, is secure in state tuition for undocumented workers”. California has jumped the shark.

[bopdowah]

The Statehouse in Sacramento is a giant toilet bowl in serious need of a FLUSH!

[stephenjohnbanker]

Brown caused much of this with state worker unions in the late 70”s

[CdMGuy]

Jerry Brown is so full of sh**, that it is coming out his ears. How appropriate is his last name!

Maybe the former seminarian is suffering from dementia and cannot remember that the governor of California has a LINE ITEM VETO. So, let his Democrat buddies in the legislature pass any spending budget they want. He can simply veto any and all parts of their budget that he wants. Will he? No way. It is all a charade in order to get the voters of California to vote to increase their sales tax and the income taxes of higher income folks. And just what will the result be? Why, the state spending more money than ever.

[p. henry]

As a native Californian and a person who loves this State, I am sad to say that our problems are so significant that they almost defy resolution: 12% of the US population and one-third of its welfare cases, unions that so dominate the legislature and city councils that the compensation of public employees is out of control, a meddlesome legislature that is driving private enterprise and people of economic substance out of the State, unfunded public employee pension obligations of half a trillion dollars, streets and other infrastructure that cannot be repaired because our cities have essentially become or are becoming pass through entities between the taxpayers and current and former city employees, a prison system that is so costly and overcrowded that, to save money and comply with federal court orders, prisoners are being distributed to county jails, new state requirements that county and municipal plans include carbon footprint provisions (thank you, Arnold), a tax system so reliant on the earnings of a few that state revenues collapse during recessions, and construction and development permit requirements and environmental regulations so onerous that it can take years just to negotiate the process (decades if the environmentalists are truly offended or rapacious).

I don't see a solution for this mess short of bankruptcy, which is not currently contmplated by the Federal Bankruptcy Code. If the Republicans gain control of the White House and Congress, for the sake of Caliifornia, Illinois and similarly situated States, they should consider amending the Code to allow State bankruptcies.

[hattend]

It blows me away that the words “cut spending” is not in the political lexicon of California politicians.

I just can’t wait until they repeal Prop 13... the exodus will gain momentum.

[hattend]

I agree. Draw a line 50 miles inland from the coast, from Oregon to Mexico, and let the libs govern the west part.

[Robwin]

Jerry Brown is so full of sh**, that it is coming out his ears. How appropriate is his last name!

When his daddy, the equally fatuous Pat Brown, was running against Reagan for the governorship, a large number of bumper stickers proclaimed, "If it's Brown, flush it".