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Q-45 REPUBLICANS from page 4 a previous levels, the cuts to local government as well as other programs would be reduced or eliminated. Conclusion The Senate Republican proposal contains both good and bad measures from a local govem- ment perspective. Key among the proposals is the promise made by the Senate Minority Leader to accompany the budget proposal with a ballot measure to constitutionally protect local govem- ment revenue from further state raids on local government revenues in future budget years. This is a proposal that, If taken seriously, will go a long way to easing the concern of cities over their fiscal future. The Senate proposal is valuable in that this key local government issue has finally been introduced into the state budget dialogue. It is up to city officials to keep that dialogue alive. Assembly Speaker Herb Wesson responded by saying that with the Senate Republican pro- posal the budget negotiations have finally begun. Only time will tell. DON'T MISS THE MARCH ISSUE OF WESTERN CITY MAGAZINE! • Married — Filling Separately? Why the state - fiscal relationship needs to change and some principles that could guide the dialogue on reform. Tapping Into Proposition 50 Funds Housing Penalties and Sanctions New Housing Laws Favor Developers Appellate Court Decides Fate of Several CEOA Guidelines • 2002 California Cities Helen Putnam Awards for Excellence Feature: Lancaster, Hawthorne, and Hayward. All this, plus information on city jobs and busi- nesses that provide services to cities. For over 75 years Western City has been the best source of information for California city decision makers. For subscription information call: 916.658.8223, or visit the Western City Web site at www.westemcity.com. • The Senate Republicans released their budget proposal on Wednesday, February 26. (For details, see related article on page 1.) • Senate Passes Mid -Year Budget Cuts, Again. On Monday, February 24, the Senate convened a meeting of the First Extraordinary Session (dealing with general fund expense reduc- tions) and passed SB 19x, a package of $3.3 billion general fund cuts for the current budget year. This bill contains essentially the same package of reduc- tions as was included in AB 6x, passed earlier by the Senate and Assembly, but was also conjoined with AB 4x. With the Governor vowing to veto AB 4x (if it is delivered to him for signature), this would effectively veto AB 6x as well. SB 19x is tentatively scheduled to be heard in the Assembly Budget Committee on Monday, March 3. Budget Committee hearings on the Administration's 2003 -04 budget proposals also begin next week. • Bipartisan Budget Strategy Unveiled. A bipartisan group of a dozen legislators released a letter to their leaders detailing a process they believe will produce a bipartisan, balanced and on -time state budget. Legislators involved in the budget reform effort include Assemblymembers Joe Canciamilla, Keith Richman, Patricia Bates, Patty Berg, Lou Correa, Lynn Daucher, John Dutra, Tom Harman, Alan Lowenthal, Gloria Negrete McLeod, Robert Pacheco and Lois Wolk. Among the recommendations from the group were: 4 The Legislature would immediately begin weekly joint bearings of the standing committees and their respective budget committees to conduct in -depth reviews of state expenditures. Joint committees would prioritize their spending reductions and submit their expenditure and struc- tural reform recommendations to their respective caucus members. 4 All policy hearings on any legislation would be suspended until the joint committee work is com- pleted and a budget bill is voted out of the Assembly. � The Joint Committee process would begin in early March and should be completed in 60 days in order to meet the constitutional budget deadline. Leaders on both sides of the aisle have met to discuss this proposal and are working to find out how to carry these ideas forward. Visit the League's Official Web Site-- www.cacities.org PRIORITY FOCUS/PAGE 5