AgdaPkt 2003-07-14 - Laserfiche WebLink

Browse Search

11A 10 THE BUDGET CRISIS - SOME PRESS QUOTES Editorials San Diego Union Tribune, 6/26/03, Dearer - ate Gambit. "In bypassing the Legislature and imposing the tax increase by administrative decree, Davis has virtually guaranteed a costly court battle challenging the levy. Opponents are now preparing a lawsuit to overturn it. And the nonpartisan Legisla- tive Counsel has issued an opinion questioning the legality of the governor's action." Oakland Tribune, 6/26/03, Inaction Plagues. "The budget mess in Sacramento underscores just how far California's political leadership has fallen since the glory days of the Golden State when ambitious leaders built freeways that tied this huge state together and created a world -class university system that gave everyone a chance to go to college." The Palm Springs Desert Sun, 6/26/03, Our Voice: State to Blame for Budget Crisis. "Some have blamed California's severe budget deficit on the anemic national economy, but perhaps the fault lies with poor money management by the governor and state legislators." The Santa Rosa Press Democrat, 6/26/03, State Paralysis — Citizens Would Solve Crisis that Leaves Politicians Dithering. "One hundred and twenty people chosen at random could resolve these issues. They would understand that common sense, compromise and sacrifice all- around will be required to bring spending in line with revenues without destroying public services." San Diego Union Tribune, 6127/03, Crisis Mounts. "California's budget crisis is stranded in a fiercely partisan cul -de- sac." The L.A. Daily News, 6/28/03, An Offer State Can't Refuse? "California state Assemblymen Keith Richman, R- Granada Hills, and Joe Canciamilla, D- Martinez, have proposed a plan to resolve the current state budget stalemate. Since political resolution will likely result in both spending cuts and tax increases, the Richman - Canciamilla plan contains both." The North County Times, 6/29/03, How did California get in this budget mess? "The bottom line is most recent budgets were built on unrealistic long -term revenue forecasts, Thomberg said, and the bounty of the late 1990s is not coming back." The Stockton Record, 6/29/03, Budget Failure a Definite. 'The state Legislature, that gaggle of ladies and gentlemen we collectively dispatch to Sacramento to do the greater good, has about, oh, 36 hours to correct a $38 billion problem. Bet on failure." The San Jose Mercury News, 6/29/03, How're California's Budgeting Ranks? You Guessed It: Last. "What if they held a contest to see which state had done the best job manag- ing its budget? 1 know what you're thinking: California would lose. Someone held that con- test — USA Today — and sure enough, right there at the bottom, in last place all by itself is your home and mine, the state formerly known as golden" The San Jose Mercury News, 6/29/03, Inexcusable Impasse is More Painful Than Ever. "All the havoc is avoidable if legislative leaders and Gov. Gray Davis reach a compro- mise — as they eventually must — this week instead of two months from now." The Los Angeles Times, 6/30/03, Ho -Hum ... What Crisis? "The state Legislature took the weekend off, acting like tonight's midnight dead- line for finalizing a state budget is nothing." The Orange County Register, 6130/03, State Budget Going Deeper in the Hole. "Legisla- tive sources are saying that this is a battle that will drag on through the summer. It shouldn't. The longer the state defers action on cutting pro- grams, the deeper the hole will become and the more precarious the state's financial standing" The Orange County Register, 6/30/03, The 6.2 Percent Solution. "The numbers suggest that California can bear only 6.2 percent of total personal income statewide annually going to Continued on Page 7 PAGE 6 /PRIORITY FOCUS Visit the League's Official Web Site- .www.cacities.org