Voter Distrust Will Be Hurdle For Brown Tax Plan

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Gov. Jerry Brown is pleading with Californians to raise their taxes as part of his solution for solving the state's budget deficit, but it's uncertain whether voters will be in an accepting mood come November.

Polls show they want more money for schools but don't want to tax themselves to pay for it. They live in a state with one of the highest jobless rates in the nation. And they distrust the Legislature, which oversees the budget.

Jack Pitney, a political science professor at Claremont McKenna College in Pomona, says Brown "is facing a trust deficit as well as a fiscal deficit."

The Democratic governor on Tuesday defended his plan to address the state's $15.7 billion shortfall in part by raising taxes. He says the state has "no other choice."