Hollywood Sign Expected to Read 'Save the Peak' on Thursday
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Bye, Bye Hollywood Sign... at Least Temporarily [Updated]
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Photos: Laundry Day in L.A.
$11.2 billion or $28 billion? Neither are good numbers when it comes to California's deficit, but that's the reality--our current budget shortfall is projected to be $11.2 billion and that could reach $28 billion in the next 18 months.
That's why Gov. Schwarzenegger declared a fiscal emergency today today, which in turn allows him to enact Proposition 58 that forces the state legislature to pass and send a bill or bills to the Governor's desk addressing the state's budget crisis. If they don't, then they cannot adjourn or act on any other bills until the fiscal problem is addressed.
Last month when trying to fix the budget, Republicans and Democrats clashed over a compromise. Schwarzenegger and Dems want to cut spending and hike takes. Republicans don't want the latter. One of the Governor's ideas for taxes includes raising them 1.5 pennies on the dollar for three years and raising the annual fee for vehicle registration.
AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli
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Not to drop names or act like I'm politically connected or actually know anybody, but I worked an Obama fund raiser in Oct that Sheila Kuehl spoke at. She said that the biggest problem in Sacto is the 2/3rds majority it takes to pass a budget. She also said the Repubs delight in scuttling any budget that calls for any kind of tax increases, high fiving each other when they've succeeded in derailing yet another proposed budget.
that's scary, jrb.
I believe most of our budget problems come from Schwarzenegger's week in office where he cut the new vehicle fee, which sent a lot of money to local governments.
that's pretty funny since a major platform from his initial run for governor was a refund on high annual DMV fees.
Actually, you're wrong jrb.. thank goodness we have the supermajority required to pass budgets, or else we'd have tax increases like there's no tomorrow, and an even more bloated budget..
Arnold Schwarzenegger makes Gray Davis look good.
Schwarzenasshole
Coming from my own experience working in an state assemblyperson's office during the uproar over Gray Davis's DMV registration fee increase and the subsequent recall, I'd say jrb sums it up pretty well. Getting to this 2/3 number is near impossible and is almost always the reason why the state budget is perpetually late. The standoff always, always is: New taxes (Dems) vs. Cut spending (Reps). The Republicans get all giddy when they defeat a tax increase, the Democrats get all giddy when they defeat a spending cut. It's outrageously repetitive. You'd think by now they would have figured something out.
I wonder if the Governator will get the same kind of outraged response that Davis received when he increased the DMV fees.
"Actually, you're wrong jrb.. "
I'm not the one who said it vega.
But I figure since Sheila Kuehl works there she might actually know what she's talking about. Admittedly California need to live within it's means, but for Sacto Republicans to block any kind of compromise just because they can seems pretty childish and irresponsible.
That said, I'm sorry to see Sheila getting termed out. I'm not in her westside district but she always worked her ass off on a lot of important issues. Not the least of which was her trying to get us single payer health care here in California.
jrb, you're right we need to change it from 2/3 vote but to 3/4!!!
The democrats have controlled both houses for over a decade and have created a roller coaster ride for all us.
I bet you blame the Republicans in Congress for the national economic mess, but don't blame democrats for the state?!
The republicans have kept taxes "low" in this state. They are fighting to keep spending in line and keep the government solvent.
Why does Kuehl want to get rid of the 2/3? Because she wants to spend MORE. How do you spend more, you tax more.
Democrats in this heavily unionized state are in bed with the unions, look up Fabian Nunez, Villaraigosa and Don Perrata.
Most of the spending they pass require unionized labor.
So with new spending comes new taxes, which leads to fatter campaign checks to the Democrats.
I don't know about you... but I don't think California is business friendly state.
You should go and investigate what people say, instead of repeating what they say.
California needs to cut the budget by 10-15% no matter what that means. You don't raise taxes in a down economy. You leave them alone.
The ports of Long Beach and LA have seen a down fall in imports/expoerts, sales tax rev is down (and will drop more), property tax is down. The solution is not to raise the rates, but fuel a growth.
Cut the spending, offer out of state businesses incentives to MOVE here.
Oh Please!
Republicans are hardly fiscally responible these days. The new Repub mantra is "borrow and spend", which means instead of raising the tax revenues to pay for spending, they want to borrow heavily, and pass the debt on to future generations.
The problem is that approach is irresponible and unsustainable, and in this economy it's now impossible. Credit has tightened up and the credit well has run dry. So now what?
BTW Kuehl's single payer health care plan, SB840, would have saved money. The problem is that it would have cut the big insurance co CEO's out of their six figure salaries, and yearly bonuses. Can't have that can we? The 'ol GOPers might not have wealthy people to pony up those big campaign dollars, and who would attend those $20K a plate dinners. Certainly not all the 'po folks who benefit from a single payer health care plan.
California has the 5th largest economy in the world. Any business owner would be nuts NOT to want to do business here. That rub about having to pay their fair share of taxes is total bullshit. Businesses benefit by paying for a world class infrastructure that helps them do more business.
Why should individual tax payer bear all the burden?