Democrats back off on demand for new taxes to balance California budget

[villager]

Source: LA Times


Democrats back off on demand for new taxes to balance California budget

State Senate leader tells Schwarzenegger that he is willing to work with the Republicans to hold the line on borrowing and 'pull together a final deal.'

By Evan Halper and Patrick McGreevy, Los Angeles Times Staff Writers

SACRAMENTO -- Legislative Democrats and the governor are backing off their demand that the state budget be balanced with new taxes, according to a confidential e-mail the state Senate leader sent to fellow Democrats and obtained by The Times.

Senate Leader Don Perata (D-Oakland) told his caucus in the e-mail, sent Thursday night, that he informed the governor "we urgently need a budget -- let's see if I can work on a deal with the Reps that is no tax, no borrowing. He agreed."

"We then bring in Assembly leaders to show them what we're sending them," Perata wrote. "And then we go to the floor the moment we have mocked-up language ready. . . . We'll do our best to hold the line on borrowing."

How lawmakers can close a $15.2-billion gap without taxes and borrowing is unclear.

<snip>


Read more: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-budget13-2008sep13,0,5324434.story

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Dems caving in *again* -- this time to a small band of rightwing shitwads (in California, 1/3 of the assembly -- plus one -- can veto any budget...)

[kestrel91316]

1. Sigh. Oh, well, we did need that budget. The natives were getting

restless with their minimum wage pay that Ahnuld threw at them.

The local economy can't take much more of this shit. Seriously.

[oldsneakers]

2. A tax raise was unpopular

.........but it is sorely needed in Cal. As a former resident of the state I wish the politicians on both sides would stop the verbal masturbation and just pass the damn budget. This will be Arnold's last term in any case.

[Bette Noir]

3. As odd as this sounds, I wish they would raise my taxes.

Instead, they're trying to make up the budget shortfall by passing silly laws, and fining people who inadvertently break them. There's currently a $200 fine for serving water in restaurants, and $100 for watering one's yard after 9 AM. I only heard about this because I was temporarily without TV, and heard about it on the radio-- one announcement only, on one station. While I was in Oregon. I haven't seen anything about these new laws here, where they are in effect.

People don't even have to break a law to be fined-- in Los Angeles, one must pay the fine before being allowed to plead "not guilty." Then follows a "trial by mail," which is an essay test that automatically earns a failing grade. After this, one *may* demand a trial before a judge, scheduled arbitrarily at the convenience of the court.

Yeah, it happened to me. I got pulled over at an impromptu checkpoint eight months ago, harassed, solicited for a bribe, and given a ticket for an unfastened seatbelt, even though my seatbelt was fastened. I paid the fine, wrote the essay, got the guilty verdict, and demanded the trial, which comes up in a couple of weeks.

And, yes, the mayor admits that he's using traffic tickets to balance the budget,and has even proposed a surcharge of $125 on each ticket to increase revenues. I think they must think that, months after paying the fine, people won't want to be bothered with going to court to get a measley hundred bucks back. Well, I just don't like being pushed around.

I can't wait to move to Oregon. The taxes are much higher there, but I haven't heard any complaints about police harassment and government corruption, at least not in the small town my husband and I have picked out.

[mike_c]

4. I'm ashamed of them....

This is ridiculous. And yes, I live in California.

[Cleita]

5. There is plenty of mega rich individuals and mega rich corporations to

levy taxes on in California who are essentially getting a free ride. The Republicans are afraid that they will pull up stakes and leave, but frankly who cares if they are living here on our dime. It's time to start taking care of the working class of this state and frankly those rich corporations will stay anyway because they will be making a lot of money anyway even if they are taxed. They won't shoot themselves in the foot, but it's time they started paying their share of the burden to run this state.

[davidinalameda]

6. if we're going to make concessions, then the fucking repugs better make some as well

[lynnertic]

7. I'm trying to understand why we don't levy tarriffs on oil production like R-Alaska does. n/t