This just in. The state Senate approved the budget package early this morning when Republican Sen. Abel Maldonado supplied the vote that was needed to get a two-thirds majority.The Senate vote was 27-12, The Assembly then quickly passed the budget fix on a vote of 54-26. Three Republicans, including Assembly Republican Leader Mike Villines, voted for it.
The package is intended to cover a $42 billion deficit. The controversial package includes several tax increases, as well as spending cuts.
The budget bills now go to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who is expected to sign them to help get California out of its financial mess.
The Associated Press reports this is how Maldonado came to support the budget:
"Leaders also met Maldonado's demands to remove a provision to increase the gas tax, freeze legislators' salaries in deficit budget years and to eliminate new office furniture budgeted for the state controller."
I always knew the left would find a weak link on the GOP side. So now we can watch our state lose more companies and productive workers as they leave to find states that are not so punishing to the already highest taxed group in the econmy. We can watch as car sales continue to fall because consumers will not have additional disposable income to pay for the doubled DMV fees. We can watch as California's education system falls further behind the other states, even though more and more money has been poured into education and wasted on the cost of the administration rather than education efforts. Rather than make real true cuts in wasteful spending, the legislature has simply created further long term debt and burdens that will delay, for a short time, the financial demise of the state. Another job well done by our legisature!
Ditto, Twains.
The concessions Maldonado sold out for might be good in their own right (excepting maybe the open primary which was solely for his own benefit), but they did nothing to solve the budget issues.
Golden California continues to lose its luster.
sellout!!!!!!!
What a crock this budget is. I'm willing to bet that the "cuts" magically disappear as they continue to take and take from us taxpayers. Remember, if you have kids, your taxes are going to go up dramatically as you lose $200 per kid in the tax credit. Punishing families is not the way to go.
Anyone want to bet on when the public unions will give concessions on their extravagent salaries and pensions? They're the real culprits in this budget mess.
Good news in the passed budget no extra tax on gas, bad news, we are still taxed on gas.
Thanks Assembly Member Villines for thinking of the State above petty partisanship.
The untold story of this entire deal is that SEIU negotiated and exemption for themselves for any layoffs of State employees in exchange for "neutrality" on the upcoming "spending cap" ballot initiative farce in June.
How dare these workers (SEIU) lobby as an organized group, and speak collectively with one voice.
Well Rich you may thank Villines, but here are my plans for him. I will not vote for him when he seeks re-election. In fact, I will vote for his opponent, to make sure he does not win. I have a long term plan. It includes getting as many republicans as I can to vote against him to make sure he loses. However, in the following election, I will do all I can to get a true Republican elected, who will stand strong and not caved as Villines did.
Gee Twains, if taxpayers had been doing that all along; organizing, speaking as a group.. we wouldn't be in this position in the first place and Villines wouldn't have had to make the hard choices. However, if you want to blame Villines for a situation created by taxpayers, Democrats and Republicans alike then by all means go for it.
In that spirit, I think we should also blame firefighters for getting water on our carpets when they are fighting the fires engulfing our houses. Damn dalmation loving bas*@$%rds.
"We can watch as car sales continue to fall because consumers will not have additional disposable income to pay for the doubled DMV fees." (twains)
That is what is happening in this familiy. No new (greener car.) We shall stay with our 11 year old big size Lincoln. Its engine is going to work till ever and one day. I am beginning to suspect that the faceless powers that be don't want an educated populace: "...calves are easily bound and slaughtered, never knowing the reason why..." (Yddish musical theatre by Sholum Secunda.)
One more from me. Der Manouel, jr.; some of us are not in the loop. What is SEIU? And who in your post are the good guys; who are the bad guys? I would like to know whom to endow with some expletives to make me feel better about my ever-shrinking fixed retirement income. I sure have some choice morsels for Schwarzenegger in his native tongue.
And if Measure A passes in Clovis, the pain deepens
SEIU stands for Service Employees International Union. They are healthcare workers. A lot of them take care of their own relatives and are paid by the state to do so with benefits. Not like the old days when you took care of family. Makes me sick.
My acumen in socio political science (per se) has not diminished, though I may no longer be in the loop of local politics. But it is of use to none to have me read my posts myself. Full employment (or as near as possible) is mandatory for a healthy national economy. To send American jobs abroad to bolster the profits of manufacturing and to give cheaper prices to those who who still have a job is smoke and mirrors. Especially, since many of those who still have the jobs are sharing the same source of income. This democratic republic is morphing into a democratic bureaucracy. Taking from Peter to pay Paul, invariably collapses within itself, unless we can keep finding enough Peters. But Peter is loosing or has lost his job (often) to shores unknown or to China mostly. Bureaucracy in healthy proportion to the private sector is desirable, but that proportion is now out of balance. The solution is not a bloodletting (in numbers) of those tax supported incomes. The solution is to give Americans their jobs back and to restore a healthy economic balance through national full employment. And now I am going to see how long it takes for me to get to see what I wrote here, without anyone believing a word I am saying. Sorry for myself? Of course not. I weep for the nation, I weep for We the People. There is an old saying....little in life is less believed than the most simple, basic truth.
http://www.seiu.org/a/ourunion/fast-facts.php
Kim, we California taxpayers who believe in minimal taxes and limited government have been organized and speaking out for a number of years - we are the base of the Republican party.
Unfortunately, since a majority of voters in this State benefit by the government robbing Peter to pay Paul (which is a real flaw in our modern day, big government democracy), the Democrats (and, frankly, despite his party affiliation, I include Arnold in that category), have controlled this State for some time. That is the root of the fiscal problem in this State. Democrat politicians, whose campaigns are financed by public employee unions, do whatever the unions tell them to do. Democrats maintain their majority by doling out social services for the majority which are paid for by the minority (many of whom are Republicans).
Conservatives only leverage for maintaining fiscal sanity in this State has been the requirement of a two-thirds majority to pass a budget AND the willingness of Republicans in Sacramento to refuse to further rob Peter to pay Paul. That is one of the main reasons we organize as Republicans to place politicians like Villines in office. We also speak out through talk radio, letters to the editor and this blog (as just a few examples) to remind these Republican politicians that we will hold them accountable, including on their pledge not to raise taxes. So you see Kim, conservatives like Twains (and me) have done what we can to support limited government.
Unfortunately, again, Democrats run this State. There's not much we Republicans can do to control Democrats and their parasitic constituency. However, we Republicans can remove from office Republican politicians who capitulate to the opposition. Therefore, as Twains noted, we Republicans in Mr. Villines district will not vote for him in the next election.
Unless he runs for another office we won't have that chance as I believe he is termed out.
I am absolutley positive that Villines intends to be a career politician. I am confident we will have the opportunity to vote against him in the future. I for one, not only look forward to doing so, I hope I can convince many others to do the same based on his complete lack of character and backbone as evidenced by his vote on the Tax and Spend Budget of 2009.
The unfairness (viciousness) of the budget is the taking advantage of a life-necessity so prevalent in California. To double up the fee for a car license is a serious hardship to the average California Joe and Jane. Without a car many of us can't get to work, get to food, see a doctor and so many other life sustaining errands, chores and missions. Encumber New Yorkers with doubling the cost of car license fees, it would inconvenience but it would not become a hardship. Many would give up driving. But how many Valley denizens can exist without a car? I won't talk about the cuts in education...I leave this to the ones better qualified than I am.
Is this what has become of the Republican voters, who your going to "vote against" rather then who you'd like to vote for?
Who is the Republican Party picking as a "yes man" for Villine's seat?
That is your right and yes you have and should do what you are doing, however, the majority of taxpayers in California put Democrats in power so they are voting for what is happening. I also think it is naive to think that the budget situation can all be blamed on Democrats. Republicans haven't been working in a vacume. They haven't sat idley by powerless. The fact that the compromise took so long is indicative of that. Yes, your party can choose to punish Villines. I however, believe he nor Cogdill are the bad guys here. Taxpayers do not realize how close our state is to a total meltdown. The only way to make people believe it was to let it happen. Villines and Cogdill made some hard decisions and chose not to let it. Not all wars can be won in one battle. The budget battle, even with a compromised budget passed, has only just begun. This is not a done deal, it is a band aide. If anything, they have bought more access into decision making. They are on the inside and have a better chance at making the kind of changes you want. That is my opinion. It is also my opinion that cuts aren't as deep because there are too many special programs, like I mentioned above, that have a real need but really can no longer be financed. Sacramento has tried and each time the taxpayers have cried fowl. So we are part of the problem too. Again, my opinion. Both of us can keep working toward our own beliefs and it is O.K. That is one thing we aren't losing. I've enjoyed your well spoken intercourse. Regards.