WITH ME, TO EXAMINE ASSEMBLYMAN ANDERSON'S PROPOSAL, AND WHY OUR STATE IS AGAIN, PARALYZED
BY POLITICS, ARE JOHN WARREN, EDITOR AND PUBLISHER OF SAN DIEGO VOICE AND VIEWPOINT. AND BOB
KITTLE, K USI DIRECTOR OF NEWS CONTENT. LET'S GET RIGHT TO IT. WHAT IS YOUR OPINION, BOB
OF THIS?
I THINK IT MAKES IMMINENT GOOD SENSE. IT WOULD BE A BOOKKEEPING NIGHTMARE, I SUPPOSE, FOR
THE STATE. BUT IT ONLY MAKES SENSE. IF THE STATE OWES YOU MONEY, AND IS DEMANDING YOU
PAY TAXES, YOU OUGHT TO BE ABLE TO PAY WITH THE SAME I.O.U.
ARE YOU WITH BOB?
I THINK FROM THE CITIZEN'S STANDPOINT, YES. BUT ON THE STATE'S PART, IT CREATES A CASH
NIGHTMARE.
HE'S A REPUBLICAN. AND WITH THE MINORITY PARTY. AND DEEPLY DIVIDED LEGISLATURE. WHAT CHANCE
DO YOU THINK HE HAS THAT THIS BILL WILL ACTUALLY GET THROUGH?
WELL, HE SAYS HE HAS A GOOD CHANCE. HE'S GOT DEMOCRATIC BIPARTISAN SUPPORT. THE GOVERNOR
IS AGAINST IT. THE REAL ISSUE IS HOW WILL THE DEMOCRATS LOOK AT IT, AS A WHOLE? I THINK
IN THE FINAL ANALYSIS, IT WILL NOT HAPPEN. THAT WE WILL END UP GETTING THE BUDGET LONG
BEFORE THE BILL HAS A CHANCE TO PASS.
YOU THINK SO?
AS FAR AWAY AS THE BUDGET IS, I THINK SO.
SO NO I.O.U.s?
I DON'T THINK SO.
LET'S TALK ABOUT THE ABILITY TOPAZ THE BUDGET. IT'S WIDESPREAD. AND SEEMS TO HAPPEN EVERY
YEAR, BOB. WHY?
WELL, THERE ARE TWO FACTORS. ONE IS THE GENERAL POLITICAL POLARIZATION IN SACRAMENTO. THE
REPUBLICANS TEND TO BE FAR TO THE RIGHT. EVEN FOR REPUBLICANS. BUT DEMOCRATS TEND TO BE
FAR TO THE LEFT, EVEN FOR DEMOCRATS. BUT SECONDLY, WHEN IT COMES TO PASSING THE BUDGET, THE STATE
CONSTITUTION REQUIRES A TWO- THIRDS VOTE OF BOTH HOUSES OF THE LEGISLATURE. IT MEANS THERE
HAS TO BE SOME COMPROMISES MADE. THE MAJORITY PARTY CANNOT PASS A BUDGET ON THEIR OWN. AND
THIS DEADLOCK WHERE THE DEMOCRATS BASICALLY WANT TO PRESERVE CURRENT SPENDING AND RAISE
TAXES, IS OFFSET BY THE REPUBLICANS WANTING TO NOT RAISE TAXES IN ITS ATTEMPT TO CUT SPENDING.
BUT THERE MAY BE SOMETHING THAT IS GOING TO CHANGE ALL THAT. PROPOSITION 25. IT'S GOING
TO BE ON THE NOVEMBER BALLOT. AND IT WOULD ALLOW STATE BUDGET AND TAX INCREASES TO BE
DECIDED BY A MAJORITY OF THE VOTERS, RATHER THAN TWO-THIRDS. IS THAT WHAT'S NEEDED?
WE COULD SAY IT'S NEEDED. BUT IT'S NOT LIKELY THAT THE VOTERS WOULD SUPPORT IT. BECAUSE
THE SAME SAME REPUBLICANS WILL FIGHT ANY CHANCE THAT WOULD CREATE AN ATMOSPHERE IN WHICH IT
WOULD BE MORE LIKELY. SO I THINK FROM THE DEMOCRATIC STANDPOINT, WE'LL HAVE A PUSH.
THE QUESTION IS, WHAT PART WILL THIS PLAY IN THE ELECTION AS WE MOVE TOWARD NOVEMBER?
BUT THAT'S GOING TO BE SO INTERESTING. THE CAMPAIGNS FOR AND AGAINST PROPOSITION 25.
WHO IS GOING TO BE CAMPAIGNING FOR IT? WHO WILL BE CAMPAIGNING AGAINST IT?
IN GENERAL, THE DEMOCRATS ARE FOR IT. BECAUSE THEY CONTROL THE LEGISLATURE, AND THEY CAN
PASS A BUDGET WITHOUT A SINGLE REPUBLICAN VOTE. AS MEMBERS OF THE LEGISLATURE NOW STANDS.
REPUBLICANS ARE AGAINST IT, BECAUSE THEY SEE TWO-THIRDS OF THE REQUIREMENT TOPAZ THE BOWL
VOTE AS A CHECK ON TAX INCREASES, PRIMARILY BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO HAVE A TWO-THIRDS MAJORITY
TO PASS A BUDGET AND TO RAISE TAXES. FRANKLY, I THINK THAT'S A SAFEGUARD THAT THE VOTERS
OUGHT TO KEEP. I THINK THERE IS PROBABLY GOING TO BE A LOT OF POPULAR SUPPORT FOR THIS. BECAUSE
IT SEEMS LIKE IT WILL APPEAR TO MANY PEOPLE AS A WAY TO CUT THROUGH THE BUDGET STALEMATES
WE HAVE AT THIS TIME.
AND WE'RE TALKING NOW, THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE FEEL THAT IT'S THE LEADERSHIP THAT WOULD GET
US OUT OF THE BUDGET STALEMATES. LIKE THE GOVERNOR SHOULD BE ABLE TO DO THIS. AND RIGHT
NOW, HE'S CHECKED OUT, ACCORDING TO SOME PEOPLE. BUT FROM WHAT WE'VE HEARD ABOUT THE GROUPING
CANDIDATES, MEG WHITMAN, JERRY BROWN, DOES EITHER HAVE A PLAN WITH A POLITICAL SKILL
NEEDED TO LEAD THE STATE OUT OF THESE TRADITIONAL PROBLEMS?
WELL, MEG WHITMAN CLAIMS SHE DOES. AND SHE POINTS TO HER eBAY EXPERIENCE. AND SAYS SHE
CAN DO THE SAME THING WITH THE STATE. JERRY BROWN, ON THE OTHER HAND, HAS THE KIND OF
RECOGNITION THAT WILL DRIVE MANY PEOPLE TO HIM JUST BECAUSE THEY'RE COMFORTABLE WITH
HIM. IN SPITE OF SOME OF THE OBJECTIONS IN TERMS OF THE PAST TRACK RECORD. WE KNOW IN
A CRISIS, PEOPLE GO MORE WITH COMFORT THAN THEY DO WITH LOGIC. SO I THINK THE CHANCES
ARE THAT THE PENDULUM WILL SWING TOWARD JERRY BROWN.
I HAVE TO GET YOUR COMMENT ON THIS.
I DON'T THINK EITHER MEG WHITMAN OR JERRY BROWN WILL CHANGE THE CULTURE IN SACRAMENTO
VERY MUCH. STARTING IN 2012, WE WILL HAVE FAIR DISTRICT BOUNDARIES FOR THE ASSEMBLY
AND THE STATE SENATE, INSTEAD OF THE LEGISLATURE MANDATING THE DISTRICTS. WHEN THE LEGISLATURE
DOES NOT COME FROM A SAFE DISTRICT, THEY'RE MORE RESPONSIVE TO THE NEED OF THE PEOPLE.
AND THE POLARIZATION, I THINK, WILL BE LESSENED.