California's state legislature: Like Congress, but without the brains. The debate on our budget makes Eric Cantor look like a genius.
They were in session for 30 hours starting Valentine's Day evening without a budget! They were in session most of Sunday, most of Monday, and they still don't have a budget! Darrell Steinberg, the state senate leader, called for a resumption of session at 10 am...pushed back to noon...then to 6 pm....then to 10 pm, or twelve hours late!
Latest rumor is that there may be a budget deal, but see the update below.
Today, the state had to shut down billions of dollars worth of urgent life safety projects, including a project to remove arsenic from a small town that happens to be home of an anti-tax zealot legislator or two. Imagine Bobby Jindal and David Vitteri voting no on a bill to clean up New Orleans because it would raise taxes for other Americans.
The cost to stop and start the arsenic removal and other life-safety projects -- which everyone agrees are essential projects -- is $400 million, but Republicans put off voting on a budget because they want to save taxpayers money. The stoopid boggles the mind.
California is ground zero of a housing crisis caused, in part, by overinflated real estate; the state is broke and can't afford tax credits for anyone; the state's taxpayers are losing houses left and right to foreclosures...and to get the budget passed, a Republican legislator demands a $10,000 tax CREDIT for purchasers of newly built homes? What's wrong with that? Nothing, except for the minor details of:
- state is too broke to be giving tax credits
- this will encourage the bubble to reinflate
- we need to work through the existing excess inventory, not add to it by building yet more tracts in yet more sprawling suburbs
- this is a blatant giveaway to developers
- this encourages more tract homes to be built in the exurbs without sufficient water
Calitics reports that the principled man of the hour, Republican state senator Dave Cox, the anti-tax crusader, has been persuaded to vote yes because -- yes, it's true -- he'll get more tax money for his district!
The state needs long term structural reform. There is so much wrong with this budget that I don't know where to start, but I'll just note what's personal to me: $775 per child, or $23,500 per classroom, cut from my children's nationally ranked school district. Feel free to add your own.
Also feel free to comment on the two essential reforms that must be implemented before the next budget:
- Repeal Prop 13's extension to commercial property, tax Disneyland at the same rate as California Adventure, and save the state $5 billion per year.
- Repeal Prop 13's supermajority requirement that requires the majority party to sell its soul to deal with Teh Stoopid Party.
UPDATE There's apparently been a coup in the state senate, with George Runner Dennis Hollingsworth (UPDATE 2X) deposing Dave Cogdill as senate minority leader, possibly being aided and abetted by Strickland (my personal pond scum principled state senator) and Denham. Cogdill will presumably continue to vote yes, but this is a serious coup. Arnold has taken his cigar and gone home, so nothing will be final until tomorrow.
And, for those ignorant of California politics and/or the discussion of the last few days, we need a 2/3 supermajority, thanks to Proposition 13, to pass a budget. Republicans control slightly over 1/3 in each chamber of the legislature, so we need 3 votes from the state assembly (probably a done deal) and the state senate, where we've only had 2 votes for several days, hence the all night lockdowns to twist arms. The budget must be balanced; we have a $42 billion deficit, which is huge; all Democrats and sane columnists agree that it can't be done on tax cuts alone, as the Republicans claim, without releasing every prisoner in the state.
This diary replaces my usual Tuesday night diary; Healthy Minds, Healthy Bodies will return next week when I calm down.