Dems Accuse GOP Of Chasing Unicorns
By Mike Luery
Today marks Governor Jerry Brown's 100th day in office, but Republicans and Democrats are still divided over how to solve California's remaining $15 billion deficit. Assembly Speaker John Perez noted that lawmakers have already enacted $14 billion worth of solutions and pledged today to have a balanced budget by June 15th, the Constitutional deadline. In reality, California lawmakers have done so only once in the last 10 years – and even then they had to make big changes after the fact.
The Speaker announced that an all cuts budget is dead on arrival. "There are no votes for an all-cuts approach to the budget," Perez stated in a Capitol news conference. Democrats want to extend the higher sales tax and car tax that expire June 30th. Today, they blasted Republicans for not providing a budget alternative.
"Republicans need to stop chasing unicorns," said Bob Blumenfield, chairman of the Assembly Budget Committee. The Van Nuys Democrat added, "They have been chasing these mythical solutions that they say are going to solve our problems and they just don't exist. I have a 5-year old girl that believes in unicorns and that's fine. But it's not fine for elected officials who come to this body who talk about these mythical solutions and not be able to bring them to the table."
Republicans have rejected any extension of taxes and say their budget solutions have been blocked by Democrats. Assembly Republican leader Connie Conway issued a statement with this response," The people have spoken on the issue of taxes. In May 2009, voters overwhelmingly rejected the very tax increases the liberal majority is pushing today," the Visalia Assemblywoman stated.
Today, Democrats signaled for the first time what they might plan to do to bridge the divide. One plan calls for getting four Republicans to support the extension of taxes now – and then asking voters to approve them after the fact in a special election.
"That's still an option that's on the table," the Assembly Speaker stated.
