The Orion Online

Issue date: 8/27/08 Section: Politics

Aug. 27, 2008

Legislators haven't agreed on how to cover the $15.2 billion gap between expected revenue and planned expenditures on the state budget. The California constitutional deadline was July 1.

Capital leaders and their staff answered this question Friday:

"Why don't we have a budget yet?"

Lisa Page, spokeswoman for Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger
"The governor believes that republicans must step out of their ideological corner on the right and democrats must step out of their corner on the left and meet in the middle. There must be compromise, which is why the governor proposed a compromise budget that addresses the $15.2 billion deficit, makes additional spending cuts and increases revenue and most importantly, fixes our broken system."

Jana Saastad, spokeswoman for George Runner, Republican Senate Caucus chair
"Because we have the majority that thinks taxing Californians further than they're already taxed is the answer to California's budget problems … republicans think that taxing California families and businesses is not the answer. (The budget needs cuts) not 10 percent across the board, but actually looking at line items. We don't have a problem with taxes for California, we have a problem with what happens when (the tax money) gets here."

Senate Majority Leader Gloria Romero, democrat
"Republican colleagues have refused to go up to a vote. (They) signed a campaign pledge not to support new taxes and they've held to that. We've got a $15 billion deficit; we need to put everything on the table - both cuts and increasing revenue. At this point, it's democrats and the governor asking republicans to be real about the budget challenge."

Assemblyman Roger Niello, assistant republican leader
"A simple answer is that it's a very trying time with the deficit. We were delayed out of the gates because the budget requires a supermajority (two-thirds) and requires republican votes, but is developed by simple majority, and so the legislature's budget (is) essentially the democrats' budget. There are few, if any, republicans willing to vote for it. The process betrays the rules."

Evan Oneto for Assemblyman Rick Keene, representing Chico
"We haven't been having real discussions. The democrats aren't willing to discuss a budget that doesn't include raising taxes and Assemblyman Keene knows that raising taxes would actually deepen the deficit next year."

Ellen Walrath can be reached at
ewalrath@theorion.com

Related links
Fact sheet on Governor's proposed budget

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