Fiscal Reform

Celebrating the tenth anniversary of forecasted operating deficits
 150 150 Fred Silva
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Once again the Legislative Analyst has pulled back the curtain on California’s budgeting practices, announcing last week that the state is likely to have a $3 billion deficit at the end of this fiscal year. This means we can expect significant mid-year cuts to education and social services programs under the budget “trigger” mechanism.

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Governor rejects needed budget reforms
 150 150 Assemblymember Kristin Olsen
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One of the reasons California faces chronic multibillion-dollar budget shortfalls is that we use a broken budget system that leads to automatic increases in state spending each year. The only way to solve our long-term budget problems is by adopting true budget reform.

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Fiscal reforms sacrificed in same old story
 150 150 Alan Autry, special to The Sacramento Bee
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In today’s Sacramento Bee, former Fresno Mayor Alan Autry takes a closer look at some of the substantive and reformative bills that did not make it off the governor’s desk, including SB 14, which would have helped stabilize the fiscal process, hold lawmakers accountable to the people they serve, and restore some trust in government.

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The ABCs of public accountability
 150 150 Sandra Sternberg
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Perhaps not surprisingly, the state of California announced this week it is $705 million short of first quarter revenue estimates, meaning so-called “trigger cuts” to the budget will go into effect. The only glimmer of hope – though dim – is word that school districts and Cal State and UC campuses have already been making plans to cover the automatic cuts triggered by this shortfall.

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Unanimous, Bipartisan … and Vetoed
 150 150 Jim Mayer and Zabrae Valentine
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California faces enormous challenges – making essential public programs work with fewer dollars, helping young people prepare for an uncertain future, and reviving our sick economy. That’s why we are so disappointed that Governor Brown vetoed SB 14 (Wolk), a critical cornerstone to the kind of governance changes that could restore opportunities for Californians — and maybe even confidence and trust in their elected officials.

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Governor could improve voters’ trust in government
 150 150 David Davenport & Lenny Mendonca
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Gov. Jerry Brown says he has 600 bills on his desk, but many he will not sign because “there’s not 600 problems that we need those solutions for.” We suggest he locate and sign two bills, SB14 and SB15, that help solve two of his biggest problems: the annual budget mess and the lack of public trust in Sacramento’s leadership, which voters say are closely linked.

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Californians put money-talk on hold until waste goes down and trust goes up
 150 150 Jim Mayer
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It is hard to talk about dysfunction in California government without talking about money. And it is hard everywhere these days to talk about taxes.

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