Controller John Chiang delays decision on legislator pay

SacBee: Capitol Alert ^ | 6/16/11 | Kevin Yamamura

[SmithL]

Nobody knows if lawmakers are receiving pay today.

State Controller John Chiang said this afternoon he must still analyze the budget bills to determine whether lawmakers met the voter-approved requirement to pass a budget by June 15 to get paid.

"I will move quickly to complete our analysis of whether the budget bills passed Wednesday meet the constitutional definition, or fall short, which would require my office to forfeit their pay under Proposition 25," Chiang said.

...Chiang made a forceful statement earlier this month that lawmakers must not only send the governor a budget on time, but one that is balanced. Democratic leaders said Thursday they had met that requirement regardless of Gov. Jerry Brown's veto.

..."We clearly met the obligation to pass a balanced, on-time budget," Speaker John A. Pérez said. Yet the governor said that the Democratic budget was "not a balanced solution" and was "not financeable," meaning not good enough to borrow against. And state Treasurer Bill Lockyer said the budget fell short of allowing the state to meet its cash needs throughout the 2011-12 fiscal year.

Brown left it up to Chiang to decide the pay issue.

[South40]

This budget was full of accounting maneuvers and payment deferrals and was just aimed at continuing legislators’ pay. They should NOT be rewarded for their failure.

[Enterprise]

To my simple minded way of thinking, if a budget was passed, then its provisions would be implemented. Cuts would be made, and monies spent for the purposes approved of in the budget. Sure, the legislature submitted a budget to the Governor, who then vetoed it. Ergo, we still have no budget, No budget, no pay.

[rockinqsranch]

“Brown left it up to Chiang to decide the pay issue.”

Chickensh-t! Typical Brown. Dodge, parry, sidestep. He’s good at it. Lots of experience.

[Publius6961]

Are you a public employee?

Brown is NOT one of the politicians I admire. He had his shot a long time ago and I don't think he can do the job.
But I don't see how grandstanding will resolve the issue. There does seem to be a difference of opinion, and neither side should unilaterally make the decision.

[rockinqsranch]

Are you a public employee?
Nope. Never was. Retired now.

“Brown is NOT one of the politicians I admire.”
Not one of mine either.

“He had his shot a long time ago and I don’t think he can do the job.”
He can’t do the job, only Dodge, Parry, and sidestep his way through it.

“But I don’t see how grandstanding will resolve the issue.”
Brown will grandstand due force of habit.

“There does seem to be a difference of opinion, and neither side should unilaterally make the decision.”
Brown made the decision for Chiang to make the decision. Typical Brown sidestepping of responsibility.

[newzjunkey]

Why would it be Brown's decision whether a vetoed budget means the legislature failed to comply with Prop 25?

What's your rationale?

[rockinqsranch]

The Democrats are a coordinated lot. Democrats meet in private, and choreograph their dances. This was by design (Brown, and the Dem controlled Legislature) to get their majority paid, and continue their stall in effort to force some action in the direction of sustained higher taxes that they want.

At the time of the campaign for the proposition this exact scenario was proposed by those that know what a bunch of sneaky, lyin’, bastards the Democrats are, and here we are today.......deja vu.