Assembly Democratic Leadership Taking No Chances on Budget Vote

Although a vote has yet to occur on a package of bills aimed at balancing the budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1, Assembly Speaker Karen Bass is taking no chances members of her caucus will be off-message.

Each Assembly Democrat received an e-mail June 23 which had the following Budget Talking Points attached:

BUDGET TALKING POINTS FOR JUNE 24, 2009  

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A Father’s Day Missive from Diane DeVore, Wife of Assemblyman Chuck DeVore

Subject: My Father’s Day Wish for Chuck

When Chuck and I married 21 years ago, we knew our life together would be intense.  When we met, Chuck was working for Ronald Reagan as a civilian appointee in the Pentagon and was an officer in the Army Reserve.  We understood Chuck’s passion for public service would lead to times of personal sacrifice.    Read more »

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Yet Another Campaign Message from Tom Campbell

 Dear Friend, 

You might have seen the following piece that appeared on the front page of the San Jose Mercury-News over the weekend.

The article goes beyond the campaign hype to outline a path to victory in the GOP primary. It notes that I’m leading according to the latest independent survey of the race.    Read more »

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Guest Post: A Few Good Men (And a Woman)

Governor Schwarzenegger:  Senator, Madam Speaker, we live in a world that has budgets and those budgets need to be written by men and women with computers.  Who’s gonna do it?  You?  You, Speaker Bass?  I have a greater responsibility than you can possibly fathom.  You weep for school kids, people in walkers and loons running around town talking to clouds while criticizing Republican ideals.     Read more »

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A Quick Look at the Tax Proposals in the Democratic Budget Plan

While much of the attention about taxes in the budget-balancing plan presented by Democrats on June 18 has focused on creation of an oil severance tax and boosting the tax on a pack of cigarettes to $1.50, there are 11 other tax increases, accelerations and changes.

The biggest – compared to the estimated $1.1 billion the severance tax will yield and the $1 billion the cigarette tax generates – is a repeal of actions taken in the February budget that would allow businesses to use net operating losses that occur after January 2011 to offset earnings during 2009 and 2010, the two-year period the February budget suspends use of the net operating loss tax break.    Read more »

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Something’s Up — Starting With June Corporate Tax Collections

In at least one bit of budgetary good news, the Franchise Tax Board reports receiving nearly $4.4 billion in corporate taxes — roughly $1.2 billion more than the almost $3.2 billion budget writers predicted.

According to the state Department of Finance, $660 million of that $1.2 billion increase was sent to banks in May and transfered to the state this month for a net June increase of $540 million.    Read more »

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A Campaign Message from Tom Campbell

 Dear Friend,

Could I ask for a quick moment of your time?

My success in this next year will depend first and foremost on the number of Californians we can actively engage in this campaign to better our state.

I would like 100,000 people involved in my campaign by election day.    Read more »

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Bull Testicles, Psilocybin and the Gunnison Admonition

Those zany state politicians. What crazy, kooky cut-ups!

An eight-paragraph, four-reporters-credited report in the June 18 Los Angeles Times – so it must be true – says the governor of the Great State of California, grappling with an unprecedented budget disaster, took the time to send the president pro tempore of the state Senate, a pair of metal bull testicles.    Read more »

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Democrats Offer Their Plan to Close the Budget Gap. Like the Governor, $4.9 Billion in School Cuts

Democratic lawmakers unveiled a plan June 17 of over $11 billion in cuts — $4.9 billion of them imposed on public schools — to close a nearly $24 billion hole in the budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1.

Even though it generates no savings, Democrats also would suspend the requirement students pass an exit exam to graduate from high school.    Read more »

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Commission Weighs Major Tax Overhaul, Flat Income Tax Rate

While lawmakers and the governor lurch toward a budget compromise, the Commission on the 21st Century Economy is starting to wind up its work to transform California’s Depression-era created tax system.

At the 14-member commission’s penultimate meeting in Los Angeles June 16, its members appeared to narrow its potential recommendations, due July 31, to two proposals.    Read more »

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