Breaking NewsSponsored by The Sullivan Auto Group
Subscribe: Home Delivery Special!
Dems to detail governor's cuts in schools, health
By Judy Lin - jlin@sacbee.com
Published 12:00 am PST Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Story appeared in MAIN NEWS section, Page A4
Senate Democrats mapped out a 10-week budget strategy on Tuesday that will emphasize the impact of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's proposed cuts to health care and education.
Republicans immediately called it a "scare tactic."
Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata, D-Oakland, said the public needs to understand the full impact of the governor's proposed cuts before it will embrace tax increases as part of the solution.
A $4.4 billion cut to public schools, Perata said, could mean delaying the start of the school year by one month or adding five students to each classroom to offset the loss of thousands of teachers.
"We underscore the fact that we're talking about people's lives here," said Perata, a former civics teacher. "We're talking about people's careers here."
Democrats, who hold a majority in the Legislature, said they would rather prioritize programs than adopt the governor's 10 percent across-the-board cuts in dealing with the remaining $8 billion state shortfall projected for the fiscal year starting July 1.
Schwarzenegger spokesman H.D. Palmer said the governor's aim was to spread cuts broadly so "no one individual program or agency shouldered a disproportionate share of solving this problem."
The governor and GOP legislators say they will not support tax increases to fix the budget problem.
Senate Democrats also announced a slight change in the budget process they said is intended to get more senators to participate in finding solutions to the state's fiscal crisis. Rather than breaking off into subcommittees, the full Senate Budget Committee will hold weekly hearings leading up to the governor's next budget update in May.
Republican leader Dick Ackerman welcomed the change but dismissed the severity of the governor's proposed cuts, calling Perata's statement a "scare tactic." Under Schwarzenegger's $101 billion general fund spending plan, he said the state would still spend nearly $25 billion more than it did five years ago.
"There's plenty of money in the budget to take care of things the state needs to take care of," Ackerman said.
Ackerman noted that K-12 education, which commands the largest share of the budget, has grown 21.4 percent over the past five years despite fewer students. Enrollment is expected to decline for the fourth consecutive year in 2008-09, according to the Legislature's fiscal analyst.
"Enrollment throughout the state has been declining, yet we certainly put more money in education," Ackerman said. "That doesn't jibe."
About the writer:
- Call Judy Lin, Bee Capitol Bureau, (916) 321-1115.
Recommend this story at Yahoo! Buzz:
Unique content, exceptional value. SUBSCRIBE NOW!
Most Popular
More Stories in Politics
News |
Sports |
Business |
Politics |
Opinion |
Entertainment |
Living Here |
Travel |
Blogs |
Cars |
Homes |
Jobs |
Classifieds/Shopping
Privacy Policy | Terms of Use | Site Map | Advertise | Guide to The Bee | Bee Jobs | FAQs | RSS
Contact Us | e-edition | Subscribe | Manage Your Subscription | E-newsletters | Sacbeemail | Archives
sacbee.com | Sacramento.com | Capitol Alert | SacMomsClub.com | SacPaws.com | SacWineRegion.com
Copyright © The Sacramento Bee
2100 Q St. P.O. Box 15779 Sacramento, CA 95816 (916) 321-1000