California Lawmakers Convene To Take Up Budget Package

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) -- California lawmakers convened Wednesday to take up a budget package aimed at closing the state's $26.6 billion deficit -- a plan that has sharply divided Democrats and Republicans.

After several hours of committee and caucus meetings, the state Assembly and Senate gathered on the floor to tackle portions of Gov. Jerry Brown's plan to cut $12.5 billion in spending and ask voters to approve a five-year extension of sales, income and vehicle taxes set to expire this year.

The state Assembly narrowly passed four trailer bills that authorize cuts to various state programs, including the CalWORKS welfare-to-work program and services for the developmentally disabled. A controversial bill seeking to eliminate the state's more than 400 redevelopment agencies remained four votes shy of the required two-thirds majority.

Meanwhile, the Senate approved three bills -- all by overwhelming margins -- that transferred about $3 billion in general fund spending for mental health, transportation debt, and health and human services to other funding sources.

The spending cut measures received little Republican support, and even that required some behind-the-scenes vote wrangling.

Republican Assemblywoman Diane Harkey of Dana Point accused Democrats of making cuts so painful to local governments that "they will beg to have taxes increased."

"This is not the fix we thought it would be," she said.

Democratic lawmakers implored their Republican colleagues to get behind what they acknowledged was an extremely unpleasant package of legislation.

"These cuts are awful," said Assemblyman Bob Blumenfield, D-Van Nuys. "As bad as they are, they pale in comparison to the problems we face if we prolong financial instability."

Kicking off the Senate debate, Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg also urged civility.

"I hope that those who expect the floor session today to be a partisan slugfest will be disappointed," the Sacramento Democrat said.

Earlier in the day, Steinberg predicted the work to reach consensus would continue this week and maybe even into the weekend.

It remained unclear whether Brown's tax extension plan would come up for a vote before day's end. The Democratic governor has given no indication he has the necessary support from Republicans to reach the two-thirds vote threshold necessary to place the tax question before voters in a June special election.

Two Republicans in each house would have to approve the plan, even if every Democrat votes yes.

The state GOP is scheduled to meet this weekend in Sacramento for its spring convention, putting pressure on Republican lawmakers to stand firm on the budget or risk being ostracized by party leaders and staunch conservatives.

A Field Poll released Wednesday found that a majority of Californians support the governor's approach of a ballot measure to decide the tax question. The poll also found that 58 percent of registered voters said they would vote to extend the tax increases, while 39 percent said they would vote to return them to previous levels.

The poll found overall support among voters for spending cuts, but a reluctance to specify which state programs should be targeted. Voters opposed cutting all but two out of 14 areas of state government spending: courts and prisons.

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)