EXCERPT
Items that must be approved by Saturday in order to go before voters
The four big initiatives that must meet Saturday’s deadline to move forward are non-essential to a progressive Democratic agenda, and all were initiated at least in part by Schwarzenegger himself. State legislators should let the deadline pass and let the Governor eat crow.
‘Big Four’ shouldn’t make progressives lose any sleep. They include:
Water: The Governor and Senator Dianne Feinstein want voters to okay a $9.3 billion water bond, which would go towards a slew of major infrastructure improvements. For starters, the bill remains woefully inadequate in terms of utilizing simple, cheap and effective strategies like water conservation, efficiency and recycling, which has earned it the ire of many major environmental groups. But even more important, Democrats have not had ample time to develop a counter proposal. There’s no question California faces severe challenges concerning its water supply, but at this point waiting a year for a good proposal is far preferable to rushing a bad one.
Lottery: Back in May, the Governor proposed borrowing $15 billion from state lottery income over the next three years. While Democrats continue to seek legitimate and progressive sources of new revenue to ensure a sustainable budget, Schwarzenegger continues to push this one-time fix with dubious certainty of success. Assembly Speaker Karen Bass hit the nail on the head when she called it "a Rubik's Cube budget, not a long-term, structurally balanced budget."
Not only that, but it would give more flexibility to the state lottery to grow its operation. This would come in the face of a recent California Budget Project report citing studies that show "individuals with lower incomes spend more on lottery tickets per capita than those with higher incomes," and that "lottery sales are higher for individuals who have little or no formal education, are residents of urban areas, are between the ages of 45 and 65, and are not white." Essentially, it’s a proposal to borrow our future on the backs of those least able to afford it.
Spending Cap: Creating a state spending cap has been a state Republican priority for years, and while it’s sold as a fiscally responsible move to the average voter, it’s a thinly guised attempt to annihilate public services. While some Democrats have toyed with the idea of agreeing to a cap in order to satisfy state Republicans and pass a budget, progressives have rightly stood firm against the idea, and should continue to do so.
High Speed Rail: Of the four, changes to the high-speed rail measure represent the only thing that might be an unfortunate casualty. The initiative would allow development of the rail line along its entire proposed route, rather than just between San Francisco and Los Angeles. It would also create more oversight to ensure the bonds get spent efficiently.
Given the nature of these measures, why would Democrats lift a finger to ensure they make it to the ballot? More specifically, why would they rush to pass a budget by continuing to negotiate with a Republican legislature with no intentions of compromising, simply to further a conservative agenda?
Democrats should be working to ensure the measures don’t make it on the ballot.