DEMS: ARNOLD'S PLANS DOOMED CONSTITUTIONAL REFORMS KNOCKED.Byline: David M. Drucker Drucker may refer to a number of persons (in alphabetic order) :
Sacramento (săkrəmĕn`tō), city (1990 pop. 369,365), state capital and seat of Sacramento co., central Calif. Bureau SACRAMENTO - Targeting Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's move to overhaul the budget process, Democratic leaders warned Tuesday Tuesday: see week. that two constitutional reforms he is pushing will be dead on arrival in the Legislature. The chairman of the Assembly Budget Committee criticized Schwarzenegger's plans to put new controls on state spending and reduce the cost of state employee pensions by switching to something like a 401(k) program. ``The current (spending control proposal) is very problematic for Democrats,'' said Assemblyman as·sem·bly·man n. A man who is a member of a legislative assembly. assemblyman Noun pl -men a member of a legislative assembly Noun 1. John Laird John Laird (14 June 1805 – 29 October 1874 ) was a Scottish shipbuilder and key figure in the development of the town of Birkenhead. He was the elder brother of Macgregor Laird. He was one of the first to use iron in the construction of ships. , D-Santa Cruz. ``We're willing to ... work with him on trying to work out the issues with the existing (pension) system, but junking the system isn't necessarily the solution.'' Schwarzenegger announced last week his intention to call a special election this year for voters to decide on his plan to overhaul California's fiscal and political systems. The governor said he will pursue the changes with or without the participation of the Democrat-dominated Legislature. If lawmakers do not vote to put his proposals on the ballot, he can back similar ballot initiatives spearheaded by third parties. Democrats have said they are willing to compromise with him but they have shown little enthusiasm for his reforms or indicated what a compromise might look like. Some said they are prepared to fight him at the polls if he makes good on his threat to bypass them. ``If he wants to go the nuclear war option, we believe it's risky (for him),'' said a Democratic source. ``It would be a close election, but we think we would prevail.'' Schwarzenegger - who enjoys a job approval rating of more than 60 percent - said he is ready for that fight. ``I try, of course, to work out as many things as possible with the legislators,'' he said this week while discussing his 2005-06 spending plan. ``Only if that breaks down at the Capitol Capitol, seat of the U.S. Congress Capitol, seat of the U.S. government at Washington, D.C. It is the city's dominating monument, built on an elevated site that was chosen by George Washington in consultation with Major Pierre L'Enfant. , then we should go to the voters.'' Some Democrats are less inclined to help Schwarzenegger achieve his goals this year because they feel burned. Last year, he said the Proposition 58 constitutional spending limit - which was passed by voters in March after Democrats voted to put it on the ballot - was the reform he needed to stop California's chronic deficit spending Deficit spending When government spending overwhelms government revenue resulting in government borrowing. deficit spending Expenditures that are in excess of revenues during a given period of time. . Now, the governor contends he needs his ``spending control'' and pension overhaul proposals to close next year's projected $9.1 billion deficit and eliminate the long-term Long-term Three or more years. In the context of accounting, more than 1 year. long-term 1. Of or relating to a gain or loss in the value of a security that has been held over a specific length of time. Compare short-term. structural imbalance imbalance /im·bal·ance/ (im-bal´ans) 1. lack of balance, such as between two opposing muscles or between electrolytes in the body. 2. dysequilibrium (2). plaguing the state's finances. Schwarzenegger also promised K-12 schools he would protect education funding in future years if they agreed to less money in the current year's budget. Democrats agreed to suspend the Proposition 98 funding guarantee partly because of that promise, and are unhappy the governor has chosen not to keep that agreement in the fiscal year that will begin July 1. Democrats say they recognize that Schwarzenegger's call for reform generally will be popular, but will try to shift the budget debate away from ``reform'' to individual issues, like health care and education. They also predict his personal popularity won't translate into support for his legislative agenda. ``Their thinking is: We don't need to take him on personally,'' Democratic political strategist strat·e·gist n. One who is skilled in strategy. Noun 1. strategist - an expert in strategy (especially in warfare) strategian market strategist - someone skilled in planning marketing campaigns Roger Salazar said. ``What we can do is lay out a different vision of where we want to take the state and let that be the appeal to voters.'' David M. Drucker, (916) 442-5096 david.drucker(at)dailybulletin.com |
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