California state: Budget standoff looms
California’s sticky budget mess lies in the hands of legislators who appear unwilling to compromise.
Gov. Jerry Brown’s budget plan, intended to help ease the state out of a deficit, hit a stalemate when not a single Republican in either house voted to let his plan reach the state’s voters in June.
One of the sticking points is that Gov. Brown does not want to give a $1 billion tax break to big corporations that would come at the expense of public safety and schools.
Community College Chancellor Jack Scott said SB70, known as the “trailer bill,” is an easier way to solve the $26 billion deficit than trying to solve it with the “all cuts” budget proposal which leaves community colleges with a steeper cliff to climb.
SAC Vice Chancellor of Fiscal Services Peter Hardash noted that Gov. Brown needs a two-thirds vote in the state legislature to extend the tax increase, and that he pledged in his campaign not to raise taxes without voter approval.
The bill Republicans blocked from reaching voters would extend tax increases on vehicles, income, and sales that were originally passed by former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2009.
“Unfortunately, even though we came very close, there are issues that I think are impossible to resolve at this time,” Brown said in a statement released on YouTube.
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