The new state budget that will take effect after midnight tonight reflects the political clout of California's teachers, contains a fee hike on vehicles, strips redevelopment agencies of their funding and, in a rarity, was approved by the Legislature and sent to the governor in a relatively timely fashion -- a major achievement in itself. The state won't be the same.
From the Chronicle's Wyatt Buchanan: "Poor people will receive less medical care and welfare,
disabled people will see fewer services, state parks will close and public
university students will pay more in California under the budget that takes
effect Friday."
"But also Friday, the state sales tax will decrease from
8.25 percent to 7.25 percent and vehicle licensing fees will drop by almost
half. Combined with the taxes that expired in January, an average California
family will pocket about $1,000 this year."
"Those are just some of the impacts of the new budget,
parts of which Gov. Jerry Brown signed
Wednesday and is expected to finish signing as soon as today, and he could make
even deeper cuts with his line-item veto authority."
California's teachers demonstrated their collective strength in the new budget in complex provisions that Capitol insiders say were written largely by staffer and key education adviser Rick Simpson. The Bee's Kevin Yamamura and Diana Lambert tell the tale.
"Teachers win layoff protection while school finance
officials see their powers curtailed in the state budget package Gov. Jerry Brown is
expected to sign today."
"The last-minute school legislation, Assembly Bill 114, emerged
publicly less than an hour before lawmakers approved it in a late-evening Tuesday
session. It reflects the negotiating muscle of teachers as Democratic lawmakers
crafted their majority-vote budget with a governor of their own party."
"This provides stability for students and
teachers," said Dean E.
Vogel, the new president of the California
Teachers Association. He said the bill stems the tide of an
estimated 30,000 job losses that teachers have faced since the recession began."
"Lawmakers blocked K-12 districts from laying off teachers
for the upcoming fiscal year. Teachers also won provisions requiring districts
to ignore – for now – the prospect of a $1.75 billion "trigger" cut
that could hit K-12 districts if optimistic revenue projections fall
short."
A footnote in this year's budget fight: Proposition 25, which voters approved to enable lawmakers to pass taxless budgets with simple-majority votes and get their pay docked if they dally, made a difference in the Capitol.
From the LA Times' George Skelton: "That means Democrats can ignore Republicans and not
spend all summer trying to buy their votes with various versions of pork while
the cash-strapped state stiffs small business vendors, drives its credit rating
further into the basement and embarrasses itself."
"...Republicans missed a golden opportunity to use
what's left of their clout to achieve the pension, spending and regulatory
reforms they've trumpeted for years. They've always talked a good game but
still can't deliver — basically because they lack the courage of their
convictions."
"Brown and Democrats were desperate to extend
temporary sales and car tax increases that will expire Friday and were willing to trade for
pension, spending and regulatory reforms. Because a two-thirds vote still is
required to raise taxes, at least two GOP votes were needed in each house.
"But, as Brown commented Monday, "there is an
almost religious reluctance" by Republican lawmakers to vote for tax
hikes."
The dismantling of California's redevelopment agencies, which Gov. Brown approved as part of the budget negotiaitons, is putting the agenices into a new legal posture: They are going directly to the state Supreme Court to plead their case.
From Capitol Weekly's John Howard: "California’s redevelopment agencies are taking their
fight for survival directly to the California Supreme Court, saying Gov. Brown
and the Legislature ignored the voters’ will and violated the constitution by
dismantling hundreds of local agencies."
"The legal action – the third major court fight in three years over billions of
dollars in redevelopment money – is expected to be launched as early as this
week."
"The agencies’ allegation is not new, but the strategy is."
"The lawsuit will seek the high court’s “original jurisdiction” to resolve the
dispute, said Chris McKenzie, executive director of the League of California
Cities."
Meanwhile, it turns out that there is a redistricting-related issue in the dwindling numbers of gay bars, reports Capitol Weekly's Malcolm Maclachlan.
"The reason is that as gay people report feeling more
accepted by society, many feel less need to self-segregate."
"What does this phenomenon have to do with redistricting?
Potentially, a lot."
"Demographer Dr. Gary Gates with the UCLA School of Law’s
Williams Institute has been following the gay bar story — and that it fits with
wider trends: “That’s totally consistent with what we’re seeing with gay
neighborhoods.”
"The Census Bureau released data on gay couples in
California, Delaware, Kansas, Pennsylvania and Wyoming on June 23. The 2010
Census shows all-time highs of people self-identifying as members of
cohabitating same-sex couples."
