Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has tried to cut state worker pay to the federal minimum wage until a state budget is done. He's tried laying off more than 10,000 part-time and temporary state workers. He's tried calling on voters to demand action from their legislators. He's tried calling for bipartisan cooperation. He's tried suggesting that lawmakers are cowards. He's tried abandoning his determination not to raise taxes. He's tried threatening to veto all bills.
Still, California is officially in uncharted budget territory, without a spending plan for the 2008-09 fiscal year that began July 1.
In search of a way to bring this year's record- setting budget standoff to a close, The Bee's Capitol Bureau asked an assortment of political leaders, past and present, to offer their advice on what Schwarzenegger might try next:
"My advice is give up on all these reforms, because we're out of time. Give up on these tax increases. They're not going to split up the Republicans. The governor has made them more solid than ever. And simply do the terrible old quick-and-dirty, across-the-board cut. Everybody."
State Board of Equalization member (and former Assembly GOP leader) Bill Leonard, Republican
"Well, I don't know, frankly. ... I'm not there. The governor is dealing with a very difficult situation and trying to make the best of it with people not being very helpful."
Former Gov. Pete Wilson, Republican
"When I ran the (state) Constitutional Revision Commission, we recommended that the state switch to a two-year budget. The principal reason ... was to try (to take) a longer look at the economy, and having places ... where you would make adjustments ... because budgets are dynamic."
William Hauck, president, California Business Roundtable, Democrat
"I really do sympathize with what the governor's trying to do. He's trying to find some middle ground to get the job done. I will say this, though: I don't think that part of the package should be tax increases. That's a big mistake. ... I'll leave the specifics of the negotiations to the folks in the trenches."
State Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner, Republican
"The California budget today is in the crisis it is in because there is a spending problem but also because there is a revenue problem. So any effort to balance the budget with spending cuts or just revenues is frankly unacceptable. We've got to have legislators who are willing to make the tough decisions. … So my thinking is they ought to get to work. They've got to find a middle ground, and they've got to find a budget without putting it on the backs of cities and counties."
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Democrat
"Get (legislative leaders) in the same room. … Maybe serve them a cocktail or two. But they've got to come to grips with the significant elements of the budget. If they're not going to have $17 billion (to balance the budget), they have to put cuts on the board. And you have to rub their nose in what it is that will have to be eliminated. It's too generic now. It's all behind the screen."
Attorney General (and former Gov.) Jerry Brown, Democrat
"I have to tell you, I was a participant in a (budget impasse) lockup on the floor of the Assembly, in 2002, I believe. … I can remember (then-Assemblywoman) Hannah-Beth Jackson trying to go to her office to brush her teeth. She tried to make a break for it, like a prison break, and the sergeant captured her and brought her back. … Strangely enough, the lockup did work. People really get worn out by, I'd say, the second day, after you're deprived of sleep and rest. … I would say they've tried everything else."
Board of Equalization Chairwoman Judy Chu, Democrat
"I've had occasion to talk to the governor over the course of this budget, and my advice to him I want to remain private. … When I was governor, I soon realized that while I might prefer a certain kind of budget, I ultimately had to accept whatever budget all four caucuses would agree to. … But at the end of the day, you have a responsibility to keep the state running, not put private citizens at peril. … At a minimum, I would think they should try to pass some stopgap measure, for 30 or 60 days, to eliminate the pain that people are feeling."
Former Gov. Gray Davis, Democrat
