(Gov. Jerry) Brown vetoes Democratic budget

Source: Sacramento Bee

Gov. Jerry Brown vetoed his own party's budget today, less than 24 hours after Democratic lawmakers sent him a majority-vote plan balanced with risky solutions.

... In a letter to lawmakers, Brown said the Democratic plan is "not a balanced solution. It continues big deficits for years to come and adds billions of dollars in new debt. It also contains legally questionable maneuvers, costly borrowing and unrealistic savings. Finally, it is not financeable and therefore will not allow us to meet our obligations as they occur."

The governor did praise Democrats for "valiant efforts" in making painful cuts. He blamed Republicans for blocking real solutions.

"If they continue to obstruct a vote, we will be forced to pursue deeper and more destructive cuts to schools and public safety - a tragedy for which Republicans will bear full responsibility," Brown wrote.

Read more: http://blogs.sacbee.com/capitolalertlatest/2011/06/brown-to-veto-democratic-budge.html

Still, I am a bit surprised.

Good for him.

Back to the drawing table, I guess.

...http://www.theatlanticwire.com/national/2011/06/california-governor-vetoes-budget-youtube-video/38920/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+TheAtlanticWire+(The+Atlantic+Wire)

No more smoke and mirrors accounting. Propose a real budget that's balanced. It's going to take both spending cuts and tax increases, but better to swallow that pill now, than force our kids to drown in it later. Better yet, publish a Democratic budget (or at least a readable summary) in the Times, Chronicle, etc., and let the Republicans publish their proposed budget alongside it. Then people can see where each side stands.

to prevent companies and or the wealthy from shirking their responsibility like GE was allowed to get away with.

Closing tax loopholes is the only answer.

California is a great place to live and do business.

My husband and I go for a lot of walks in LA. The numbers of huge mansions, wealthy homes (not in our immediate neighborhood) with manicured lawns is astounding.

There is no excuse for budget problems in this state in which so many wealthy people live and spend their money.

We need a rational tax policy that requires the wealthy to pay a fair share.

grover norquist has all the rethugs signing his pledge, and now w/ the rise of the teabaggers, they're all scared the rethugs will pull the money back if they vote to increase revenues. This state cannot cut its way out of the mess, which is partially created by the initiative process. We have to have new revenue.

I sit on the board of a non-profit. We operate 3 after-school programs in 3 cities. We provide a safe, educational (homework help, tutoring) environment for 250 children of low to middle income families. For many of our families, this is the only childcare they can afford. If we are not operating, they have to either quit their jobs or their kids become latch key statistics.

School was out on the 14th, so our full day summer program just started. We are funded through the CA Dept of Education. Our funding vanishes on June 30, when the fiscal year ends if there is no budget. By law we are required to give parents and staff 30 days notice of the program ending. Last year we sent notices because steroid boy was trying to cut everything. We have barely survived the recent 15% cut. Another 10% cut will doom the program. Our $500,000, would be reduced to $350,000. We can't pay our staff, who have had no pay raises in 3 years, provide their meager benefits, buy food, bus passes, rent, utilities, etc., etc., for 3 sites w/ that.

I would love to know the economic impact of closing 3 sites. The ripples through out the communities will be felt by the people who can least afford it.

Thanks for mentioning it.

The legislature had to pass a budget to continue getting paid, and Brown's veto of it makes him look serious and tough and puts Republicans on the defensive for not contributing anything at all to the debate.

Glad to see Brown making them squirm for a better effort. Expose their cupidity.

http://articles.latimes.com/2011/jun/03/local/la-me-legislature-pay-20110603

Right on target, azul.

they'd expose their "cupidity" when their bows and arrows set off the capitol building security systems and their little wings poked up through their suit coats.

makes sense. They exposed their willingness to do inappropriate things in order to protect their own current and potential revenue sources.

"a tragedy for which Republicans will bear full responsibility," Brown wrote.

How fast people forget.

If your spouse spent and spent on "necessities" with no regard to the kids or retirement or tomorrow, you might hold the line, too, as a responsible person trying to get out of debt. It's unfortunate that JB inherited this debt but he's trying to do something about it and stop kicking the can down the road, which is what most pols, both Dem and Repub, do.

I salute him for trying :fistbump:

Unfortunately he's far too busy getting ready for his big golf date with Boner.

but at least California has a fighting chance now.

Think of things here in Cali this way..
We have one of the highest tax rates in America..
Brown want to continue this to reduce the States deficit under his plan..

At the very same time we have many States that don't even charge a sales tax at all and they are balancing their Budgets the best they can..
Now here its the very same bullshit over and over again.. Both Parties in Sacramento don't want to give up anything and both want control over the other..
Meanwhile the People of California have seen absolutely no changes in life and are still hanging on by a thread..
Nothing has been done here to generate Jobs..
Crime is skyrocketing.
All while these so called Reps haggle over their own interests..
Just like Washington..

just to get the constitutional deadline off their backs. Back to the drawing board, and real fast days before the independence day holiday! Sad how California's supermajority requirements cause a tyranny of the minority party.

That was removed by the voters last November. A simple majority vote is all that is required and there is no longer a tyranny from the minority.

That's the achilles heel in Prop 25. Previously, 2/3rds were required for any budget work. Now, a simple majority can pass a budget IF that budget won't raise taxes. Tax hikes still require the supermajority vote.

The budget that Brown vetoed didn't raise taxes, but instead bridged the gap using deferrals and borrowing. Without a tax hike, it only took a simple majority, which we have.

of the four rethuglicans who REFUSED to even talk to Brown. The only good thing is the asshole is termed out. The bad thing is the idiot low information rethug voters will elect another one just like him. The person the local rethugs have anointed is a tea bagger so it is about to get worse.

the budget issues impossible. They did the same thing under Schwarzenegger.

Schwarzenegger came in on a platform to get rid of waste. He tacitly admitted that waste was not the problem. He tried borrowing the state's way out of the regularly recurring annual budget crises, but of course that got us into more trouble than we were before.

The Republicans have to relent on their no new taxes bit. It does not work.

They should start taxing tuition to private schools. That's where a lot of money is wasted.

I wish Obama would catch a little of what Brown has!

That's my Gov.

He is not the typical politician. Realistic, yes, but not pandering.

Why can't other Democrats learn from this man?

and pass it on to our kids and grandkids to pay.

:crazy: But now they're all singing a different tune because O is in office

Why would the republicans help form a budget when they get what they want by doing nothing.

The budget simply deferred and delayed public education funding, which guarantees a bigger crisis next year.

No more business as usual.