Voting aye? Not this year

The fate of the overdue state budget hangs on one vote, but Jeff Denham says this time it won't be his.

The Atwater Republican senator, who used to be one of the Democrats' go-to guys for votes, vows he will not cave on the budget this year. He says he's determined despite enduring several political punches, the latest of which involves a recall effort in his competitive Central Valley district.

"I'm not going to be bullied or intimidated or pressured into voting for anything," said the almond farmer and business owner. "I think it's the right thing to do."

Denham's tough stance during California's 7-week-old budget conundrum has drawn both the ire of majority Democrats in need of one more GOP defector and praise from minority Republicans demanding more reductions in spending and changes in environmental policy.

Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata last week removed Denham as vice chairman of the powerful Governmental Organization Committee. Last month, the teachers union rallied in his district to press for his vote. But one analyst says the Democratic reprisal is only helping Denham solidify his conservative reputation in preparation for a closed-party primary bid for lieutenant governor in 2010.

"He will be a hero to the party for holding out," said Tony Quinn, co-editor of the California Target Book, which handicaps state political races.

The Legislature was supposed to pass a balanced budget by June 15 and send it to the governor for the fiscal year starting July 1, but the Senate has been locked in an ideological battle since the Assembly approved a $103 billion spending plan on a bipartisan vote July 20.

The Schwarzenegger administration has endorsed the Assembly-approved budget and offered to veto $700 million in unspecified programs. Finance Director Mike Genest wrote an opinion piece in Friday's Modesto Bee lobbying Denham for his support.

Last year, five Senate Republicans, including Denham and Senate GOP leader Dick Ackerman, voted for a budget that increased spending by 9.3 percent and carried a $2 billion reserve, Genest pointed out, and the Assembly-approved budget would bring down growth to less than 1 percent and build a reserve of more than $4 billion.

"It's hard to understand why this better budget doesn't warrant Denham's support," Genest wrote.

Denham said he's worried that an economic downturn could quickly wipe out the reserve and force spending cuts to public safety and education. He said he continues to champion causes that his district cares about, particularly when it comes to getting a teachers' tax credit and adequate public safety funding.

His 12th District serves the Central Valley cities of Modesto, Merced and Madera.

"I agree in the sense that he feels the governor's proposal to line-item veto $700 million should be something that's agreed upon as to what they're going to cut and should be in writing," said Joel Knox, a Republican teacher from Merced and a member of the California Teachers Association.

The teachers union endorsed Denham on the campaign trail but took issue with his stance on the budget. A coalition of education advocates held rallies last month in his district.

"In the past, he has been very helpful on education issues. I'm asking him to take a leadership role in supporting the state budget," said state Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell.

O'Connell said nearly 800 early-childhood centers serving 500,000 young children have not been receiving state funding. For the month of July, the Department of Education had no authority to release $296 million to school districts because of the lack of a state budget.

Pressure is mounting in Denham's district, where Democrats have an eight-percentage-point advantage over Republicans in voter registration.

The same week he turned 40, the Democratic Central Committee spent more than $11,000 from July 26 to 31 on street signs and robo-calls in a "Dump Denham" campaign, according to secretary of state filings. A Web site -- www.dumpdenham.com -- was launched to solicit petitioners.

Three days later, the Republican Central Committee fought back, giving $10,000 to Denham's campaign account.

Denham said he was served recall papers Wednesday accusing him of failing to keep his campaign promise to fully fund schools, fix Highway 99 and shore up levees.

"Senator Jeff Denham has to get out of his Cub Scout shorts and become a leader and vote for the budget," said Democratic Party spokesman Bob Mulholland.

The senator said he's disappointed by the recent recall effort. He noted that he voted to bail out Oakland schools for Perata several years back.

"There's an attitude at the Capitol that every time I don't get my way, I'm going to take my ball and go home," Denham said. "I've never seen a situation where just because you don't like somebody's vote, you take away a committee or launch a recall."

During one evening session, he unsuccessfully tried to push through a measure to provide $10 billion in emergency appropriations so the state could pay its bills while budget negotiations continued.

Genest wrote that the bill wouldn't provide relief because the bill requires the Assembly's approval, and the lower house isn't returning until Aug. 20.

Quinn said Denham's audience has shifted as he eyes a 2010 statewide bid.

Denham, an Air Force veteran who served in Operation Desert Storm, narrowly defeated Democrat Rusty Areias in 2002 and had to walk a moderate line his first four years in the Senate.

Now in his second term, Denham said he's so concerned about overspending that he's unwilling to bend.

Quinn said it was unlikely that a Republican in Denham's position would provide a vote for the budget.

"I don't believe it will be a senator who has to run again or run for statewide office," Quinn said. "Perhaps the governor could give strong hints of a nice six-figure job in the future. That's how the budget has worked out in the past 30-some years I've worked here."

About the writer:

• The Bee's Judy Lin can be reached at (916) 321-1115 or jlin@sacbee.com.