California has a budget! Oops...maybe not

Yesterday, when news broke that the California Legislature had agreed on a budget, I wrote the following note to the local newspaper.  Today, my cynicism proves true, as Governor Brown has vetoed the new budget.  So let's get this straight.  The people of California passed Prop 25 last year to facilitate getting a budget passed by June 15 by reducing the requirement to only 50% of the Legislature, with a punishment that the pay of Legislators is stopped if they still fail.  Turns out the new budget was just their way of making sure they got paid.

Check the Contra Costa Times today for a good editorial.


My letter to the Editor:

Re:  June 15 news of Budget Passed

Wow, for the first time in years California has a budget by the statutory date of June 15!  But once again it is a budget in name only.  Once again it uses Rob-Peter-to-pay-Paul accounting tricks to push debt into future years.  Once again it holds over the taxpayer’s head the scare tactic of reduced funding for police and fire, social services and Medi-Cal. 

Once again it ignores any creative ways to improve the economy and get more revenues flowing.  Once again nothing creative, like cutting 50% of CARB to save $500 million, or stopping the devastation of AB32, or defunding High Speed Rail.

And why did it magically happen on June 15^th?  Because the Democrats controlling the Legislature and Senate can’t bear to lose a paycheck.  At least that initiative worked!  And because an approved budget means they can continue to write checks on money we don’t have.