The Bee's Dan Walters answers readers' questions about the state budget and the budget-related measures on the May 19 special election ballot.
What effect will passage or rejection of the propositions have on state workers, especially those with less seniority?
That would be impossible to predict. The immediate fiscal effect of rejection would be to deprive the 2009-10 budget of about $6 billion of revenue, most of it to be borrowed against the state lottery. So, rejection would make closing the projected 2009-10 deficit that much harder. How the governor and Legislature would react is unknown, even to them. It could result in layoffs of state workers, or not, depending on what approach they took.
What is the downside to voting yes on Proposition 1F?
Prop. 1F would have very little impact on the budget itself, if any, so there's really no downside – or upside, other than expressing anger.
How have the Legislature and governor been able to ignore Proposition 58, passed in 2004? Why should voters believe in Proposition 1A's spending limits when Proposition 58's spending cap has been ignored?
Prop. 58 had very weak provisions that are easily ignored or honored in the breech.
Why shouldn't all state employees and elected officials and staff take a 15 percent salary cut like private industry has had to do? Demand that unions go along. Would having a part-time Legislature and non-paid commissions resolve the spending problem?
As you imply, cutting state salaries would require union contracts to be changed, plus negotiations. And much of the state's spending is locked into law, including the state constitution.
How could we accomplish the fiscal goals of the initiatives without having children being the ones paying the price under Propositions 1D and 1E? Why can't we cut prison costs or reduce the scope of government in other areas?
Cutting prison costs by any major amount would involve releasing a substantial number of the 170,000 inmates, which is theoretically possible but faces an uphill political path.
Have a question about the May 19 special election and Propositions 1A through 1F? Click on www.sacbee.com/elections.
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