"No excuses, but there are clear reasons why the budget isn't done yet. We are living through a historic economic crisis that has resulted in people and government having less money. Since I began as leader of the Senate, the combined budget deficit has amounted to almost $60 billion. This fiscal reality, combined with the extraordinary two-thirds requirement to pass a budget, is the reason the job is not done yet."
Sen. Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento
"Democrats and Republicans in the state Assembly reached a bipartisan agreement on three budget bills that addressed the state's cash flow crisis. The governor rejected this bipartisan compromise. Now we are issuing IOUs. All of this was preventable, but the governor chose brinksmanship over statesmanship, and now we are going over the brink."
Assemblyman Dave Jones, D-Sacramento
"July 1 is here, and instead of working on real budget reforms that Democrats, Republicans and the governor can agree on, the majority insists on still trying to push through illegal majority vote tax increases – even today. We don't have any more time to waste. We need to stop running drills and solve the entire deficit. As the clock ticks, our deficit hole deepens."
Assemblyman Ted Gaines, R-Roseville
"Gov. Schwarzenegger and Senate Republicans have made our position clear. … We will not accept a temporary fix. We will not accept half a solution. We will not support higher taxes. We demand a full $26 billion solution to the state's deficit problem, and we stand ready to perform the needed surgery when the majority party is ready."
Sen. Sam Aanestad, R-Penn Valley
"This situation need not be a theater to play out the could-haves and should-haves of the past. We are faced with a crisis unlike any this state has ever seen. It's almost like a patient with gangrene. All the options are bad, but only get worse if we fail to act. If we don't make the decision to amputate the toe, we could lose the whole patient."
Assemblyman Roger Niello, R-Fair Oaks
"Our focus must be on bipartisan solutions, and there are proposals we agree on now. We can't afford to wait for the political posturing to end in order to start putting pieces of the puzzle in place. The gridlock just illustrates how necessary it is that we institute long-term reforms to keep us out of this same situation in the future."
Assemblywoman Alyson Huber, D-El Dorado Hills
"On May 19, the people of California said no more bailouts, especially California tax-and-spend bailouts. Let's stop driving jobs out of California, and let's grow our economy out of this recession and balance our budget. The people have spoken – no new taxes."
Assemblyman Dan Logue, R-Linda
– Compiled by The Bee's Hudson Sangree
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