He's never been known for consistency but in his third term in office and his ninth state budget, Brown's veto of the spending plan approved by majority Democrats has made him -- you guessed it -- consistent.
From the LA Times' George Skelton: "It sounds like Steinberg and Pérez are a little confused. But that may be understandable. They — like all but a couple of legislators because of term limits — have never experienced a consistent governor whose words could be banked."
"Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger promised to "tear
up the credit card and throw it away" but went on a borrowing binge. He
adamantly opposed raising taxes, until he raised them. Gov.Gray Davis had feet
of clay and was shoved around by liberals."
"What dismayed me was that Steinberg and Pérez were
dismayed by the governor's veto. After all, Brown had been declaring for months
that he wasn't going to put up with Sacramento's old smoke and mirrors."
"At his inauguration, Brown promised a
"painful" but "honest budget." Later, introducing his
spending plan, he warned that if Republicans refused to renew the taxes,
spending cuts would be "draconian." In his State of the State
Address, he declared that "kicking the can down the road, by not owning an
honest budget, is simply out of the question." Etc."
One of the fiscal sticking points in Sacramento is the Republicans' demand for what they call reform of public pensions -- cuts in costs and benefits and limits imposed on newly hired employees. Is the governor going to make an offer? CalPensions' Ed Mendel takes a look.
"Senate Republicans willing to cast key votes to put a tax measure on the ballot, if there also are measures for pension reform and a spending limit, seem to be waiting for Gov. Brown to make an offer."
"A pension reform proposal released by the Republicans last week appears to be a list of basic concepts that are more like a starting point for negotiations than a ballot-ready plan. For example, whether the reforms cover CalSTRS is undecided."
"Much of the 20-point Republican proposal is similar to a 12-point pension reform issued in March by Brown — notably a pension benefit cap and a “hybrid” plan for new hires combining a lower pension with a 401(k)-style individual investment plan."
"The governor’s news release said the 12 points had been discussed with Republicans, but talks broke down over other issues. “Brown intends to introduce these pension reforms with or without Republican support,” said the March news release."
State Controller John Chiang is expected to decide this week whether lawmakers will continue to get their pay checks. Under Proposition 25, lawmakers get their pay docked for every day the state budget is late passed the constitutional deadline. But the budget was vetoed. So what's that mean for lawmakers' wallets?
From KQED's John Myers: "But there's still some murkiness thanks, in no small part, to the drafting of Proposition 25's 'Findings and Declarations,' where you'll find this sentence: "This measure requires incumbents to permanently forfeit their salaries and expenses for each day the budget is late."
"How do we define "late?" The measure never says. In fact, the same section of Prop 25 interchangeably uses the terms "pass" and "enact," even when one word ("pass") is clearly something the Legislature can do when it comes to the budget, but the other ("enact") would ostensibly mean making it the law... and thus requiring the governor's signature."
"Regardless, Controller Chiang is now clearly in the thick of it. For starters, there's doubt as to whether Chiang has any role to crunch budget numbers in search of "balance," and his press release from last week even says so. But should he weigh in, you've got to believe that this is headed to court. If he refuses to pay legislators, he will no doubt be sued by someone (a legislator, perhaps?) alleging that he's overstepped his authority. But if he writes those paychecks come June 30, he will indeed be sued by Jon Coupal of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, who sent Chiang a letter on Friday putting him on notice."
When it comes to redistricting, nothing is simple. Take, for example, the odd-even conundrum that winds up bedeviling the Senate. The Contra Costa Times' Lisa Vorderbrueggen takes a whack at it.
"But that's not what the demand is all about. Rather, it refers to a stupefying numbering phenomenon in the once-a-decade redrawing of California's political districts. The result of that process could sideline some state Senate incumbents and deprive millions of voters of even one senator while bestowing upon others the gift of two."
"How could this happen?"
"It's complicated. In fact, the number shuffle is so hard to explain that trying to describe it devolves into a parody of Abbott and Costello's "Who's On First?" skit."
"But broadly speaking, it is the unavoidable collision between the renumbering of the state's newly drawn 40 Senate districts and the body's four-year terms."
"Half of the Senate's seats come up for election every two years. Odd-numbered districts will appear on the 2012 ballot and even digits in 2014."
And now from our "Foodie" file comes the tale of the little town in Iowa that wants to break the world oatmeal-eating record. I'm getting sick already.
"ST. ANSGAR, Iowa --- Onlookers gathered Saturday afternoon at the unofficial world's largest bowl of oatmeal in St. Ansgar."
"It took 300 pounds of oatmeal and more than 700 pounds of water to create 1,000 pounds of quick-cooked oatmeal."
"The previous world record was 732 pounds, recorded in Manitoba, Canada."
"Organizers of the effort wanted to recognize the local agriculture of St. Ansgar and Mitchell County by creating the bowl of oatmeal."