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9. A•X QUOTES from page 5• . The Los Angeles Times, 7/29/03, Fix Broken Budget Process. "It is better to have a wretched budget than no budget at all." Sa i Francisco Chronicle, 7/29/03, Distorting the Budget Crisis. "We've taken Gov. Gray Davis to task for displaying insufficient leadership in han- dling the budget deficit. But to blame him for creating it is an even more egregious claim than Al Gore taking partial credit for creating the Internet." The Long Beach Press Telegram, 7129/03, Bonehead Budgeting. "The budget passed by the Senate late Sunday, to be considered by the Assem- bly this week, is yet another get -out- alive budget at a time when California desperately needs to get out healthy, not just struggling along on life support." The Contra Costa Times, 7128/03, Promising Budget Deal. "It doesn't solve basic fiscal imbal- ances, it borrows billions on poor credit, it delays action on needed systemic reforms, it shortchanges local governments and it seeks $2.3 billion in spend- ing cuts from important social programs — but it's the best news in months on the state's budget impasse." San Francisco Chronicle, 7/28/03, A Nonsolution Solution. "Republicans in the Califor- nia Legislature appear to have'won' the budget stare - down. There were no new taxes in the Senate budget agreement now being debated in the Capitol. Instead, there were gimmicks and borrowing." San Diego Union Tribune, 7/28/03, What Agreement? "Hopes that the state budget crisis might soon be over could be premature. Political realities in the Assembly could delay a budget agree- ment for weeks more, threatening a shutdown of more state services and programs and further damaging California's imperiled financial standing." Sacramento Bee, 7/27/03, A Good Deal? Well Only If You Can Ignore $10.7 Billion in Debt. "California has a budget deal. As with all deals, the question is whether it is a good one or a bad one." Riverside Press Enterprise, 7127/03, State Budget: To Cease the Fire. "The deal state Senate leaders struck Thursday for a spending plan isn't so much a budget as it is a cease -fire in which everyone holds his position. That may be good for the Republi- can and Democratic combatants in the Legislature, but it isn't so good for Californians." The Stockton Record, 7/28/03, California's Budget Compromise Still Mortgages the State's Future. 'With a Wall Street hammer hanging over the state's head and public embarrassment in their wake, Democrats in the California Legislature blinked." The Fresno Bee, 7/28/03, A Useful Tax Swap. "Steinberg has proposed that cities and counties give up a half-cent of the sales tax they now collect in return for receiving a greater share of the property tax. The goal of the tax swap is to reduce local government's dependence on the sales tax." The Bakersfield Californian, 7/26/03, Crazy with a Capitol 'C': What a week in state politics. "This was the week from hell in your state Capitol. All of the problems facing California's state government seemed to topple inward into a massive pile of political upheaval." Sacramento Bee, 7/30103, Dan Walters: Winners and Losers Toted Up as Year's Budget Imbroglio Ends. "We all are losers because the Capitol was once again unable to come to grips with the state's fundamental fiscal crisis, and thus demon- strated anew that California also has a fundamental crisis of governance as well." Sacramento Bee, 7/27/03, Dan Walters: Sound Fiscal Advice for Families Should Apply to State Budget. "California is in a pickle because its leaders squandered a one -time windfall of tax rev- enues three years ago by cutting taxes and boosting annual spending billions of dollars beyond depend- able revenues, then covering the resulting deficits with bookkeeping gimmicks and loans. It is analogous to a family that received an unexpected inheritance from a distant relative, started spending as if it would have a rich uncle die every year thereafter, then maxxed out its credit cards to support its artificially inflated lifestyle." Sacramento Bee, 7/27/03, Dan Weintraub: Man Bites Dog, Legislative Foes Civilly Discuss State Budget. "Maybe two legislators shouting inanities at each other is dog- bites -man stuff. Here's the rarity: legislators from different parties, with different agendas, sitting down in civil discourse about the state's massive fiscal problems" Continued on Page 13 PAGE 12 /PRIORITY FOCUS Visit the League's Official Web Site -- www.cacities.org ....... ...............................