CALIFORNIA'S BUDGET BATTLE DEMOCRATS' PLAN RELIES ON DEFICIT-SPENDING.

Byline: GEORGE RUNNER

THE California state Senate has been embroiled in a budget stalemate for more than six weeks. Throughout, Senate Republicans have been inaccurately portrayed as obstructionist for refusing to vote for a budget that spends more than it has in the bank.

Spending within the state's means is fiscally prudent policy, and yet Republicans have been accused, maligned and cajoled by the Democrats in every media outlet in the state.

Instead of accusations and name-calling, let's focus on the facts.

Each year, Senate Republicans strive to pass the budget on time. However, passing a good budget that protects taxpayers is far more important than a bad budget that meets the deadline.

Indeed, a well-crafted budget passed late is a better investment in the long run since a carelessly drafted budget could have devastating financial consequences for the future.

Late budgets are not unheard of in California, and in years when the budget has not met the deadline, the state has continued to operate fire and police services, schools and other programs.

Because there are some vital services that depend on passage of the budget, the Senate Republicans asked Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata, D-Oakland, while in session on Aug. 1, to take immediate action to provide contingency funding to ensure uninterrupted delivery of essential services, including child care and Medi-Cal payments. AB 207 would have authorized $10 billion to pay for government services from July 1 to Aug. 20. Unfortunately, the request to hear Assembly Bill 207 (Villines) was denied. The bill would have guaranteed that the state's bills for these vital services were paid while budget negotiations continue -- but it never got a chance.

While such proposals to provide contingency funding have received bipartisan support in the past, this year Democratic leadership in the Senate has denied the passage of any contingency funding proposal in an effort to use the vulnerable -- California's poor, blind, disabled and elderly -- as leverage in applying political pressure during the budget negotiations. Unfortunately, the majority Democrats can get away with this because they hold the ultimate power in the Legislature.

The current budget proposal carries a $700 million deficit with a projected $5 billion deficit next June. Such debt can only be erased in four ways: new taxes, borrowing money, making deep cuts to crucial programs or buckling down now and making responsible spending reductions in areas that will guarantee a better financial future for the citizens of our great state.

My Republican colleagues and I have no wish to keep children and seniors from getting care, to delay Cal Grant checks to college students, or to withhold payments to vendors that contract with the state. This is exactly the situation we tried to prevent with AB 207 and other legislation that would have authorized emergency funding.

Senate Republicans truly believe taxpayers support a balanced budget -- assuming they're presented with the facts. We think taxpayers understand that legislators have a fiduciary responsibility to balance the budget, which means we only spend what we have in the bank. We believe that most Californians understand that borrowing money now will only create insurmountable problems for the future.

We were elected to serve the people of our districts, as well as all the state of California, and I, for one, will continue to fight for a balanced budget. I don't believe our grandchildren should be responsible tomorrow for the poor financial decisions we make today.