Lawmakers avoid blame, ignore future deficit Mark Simon, Chronicle Political Writer Thursday, July 10, 2003 ©2003 San Francisco Chronicle | Feedback
URL: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2003/07/10/BA116139.DTL No one wants to give any ground -- or any more ground -- in the 2003- 04 state budget impasse, which means it's likely California will roll over billions of dollars in debt into future fiscal years, an outcome no one wants.
But even as they head down a course that none find acceptable, Bay Area legislators each said this week that they were doing a responsible job battling over the budget.
And while all acknowledged the concept that each of the 120 lawmakers bore individual responsibility for the budget crisis, clearly they don't think it's their fault.
"I obviously have a role to play, and I bear responsibility," said freshman Assemblyman Gene Mullin, D-South San Francisco. "(But) many of the decisions are made above my pay grade."
"It's my job to come here and work on this and put up my votes on what I feel is reasonable," said Assemblywoman Rebecca Cohn, D-Saratoga. "I've voted for cuts and I've voted for increases. I've been doing my job. I don't see any willingness on the other side to see any of the things we've proposed."
That's because nothing the Democrats have proposed has been acceptable, said Assemblyman Guy Houston, R-San Ramon.
"I think my responsibility is to do what is in the best interests of the state of California, now and in the long run," he said. "To say you're going to go up there and vote for anything just to get (the budget) done is not responsible to me."
The two parties have been wrangling for months over the same ground -- Democrats want a combination of spending cuts and tax increases, and the Republicans refuse to consider any tax increases.
All of which points to what Democrats say is the absurdity of California's budget process, which requires approval by two-thirds of the state Senate and Assembly. Only two other states, Arkansas and Rhode Island, have a similar requirement.
In the Assembly, that means 54 votes out of 80; in the Senate, 27 votes out of 40. The Democrats have 48 votes in the Assembly, 25 in the Senate.
"If we needed a (simple) majority vote, we'd have a budget. We'd be done on time," said Assemblywoman Wilma Chan, D-Oakland.
"This is one of those things that's hard to grasp," said Assemblyman Joe Simitian, D-Palo Alto, "but in the final analysis, six members of the (Assembly) minority party will have as much to say about what this budget looks like as 48 members of the majority party."
"I can imagine (Republican) frustration at being in the minority," said Assemblyman Mark Leno, D-San Francisco. "This is the one muscle they have to flex."
And it appears to be working, as Republicans refuse to consider tax increases, forcing the Legislature to make deep cuts or carry over huge debt into future budget years.
"The Democrats haven't grasped the concept that we're not in control of this budget," said Sen. Jackie Speier, D-Hillsborough. "The only way out of it is to take the Republican budget, negotiate out of the elements that are truly unacceptable and move forward."
The problem with Speier's view is that her Democratic colleagues find it just as unacceptable as Republicans find tax hikes.
"I'm drawing a line in the sand, too," said Cohn, who rejected any possibility of voting for Republican proposals that would wipe out financing for guide dogs for the blind, eliminate kindergarten for 100,000 4-year-olds and cut money for battered women's shelters.
"I continue to believe as this crisis in the budget stalemate continues," said Assemblyman Joe Nation, D-San Rafael, "more and more Californians will become informed about the two budget plans out there, and I think people will understand the severe cuts the Republicans have in mind are not in the best interests of California."
Democrats say they have agreed to $12 billion in budget cuts already -- and they're waiting for the Republicans to make a similar compromise.
But it's not going to happen, say Republicans, who note that the Democrats already raised $4 billion in new revenues by hiking the vehicle license fee, something the Davis administration could do without Republican votes.
And so the impasse continues, with an overlay of recall politics that complicates the issue. "The nature of our process is that the two parties have to come to an agreement," said Mullin, "and unless and until the public pushes both sides to get an agreement, it tends not to happen."
E-mail Mark Simon at msimon at sfchronicle.com.