Dan Walters' Capitol Q&A

Question: I'm hoping you can help me better understand the state budget process. As I see it, the Governor issues a budget in January, and following a few media takes about who it's helping and/or hurting, it drifts into the background. Rather than beginning to delve into the details of the proposed budget items and/or determining spending priorities, the Legislature waits for the May revise to be issued, which wastes four months of potentially valuable time. Why even issue a budget in January? It allows non-doers to point out problems, yet not offer solutions. I don't get it.
-- Steve Shields, Sacramento

Answer: The first rule of politics is that there is nothing rational about them. It's done pretty much as you describe because the state constitution requires it. Actually, however, the 90 percent or so of the budget that's routine business is examined by the various budget subcommittees between February, when the Legislature's budget analyst releases her report, and May, when the governor makes revisions in his proposal that generally deal with the other 10 percent. In theory, then Gov and the Leg and the budget stakeholders then hash out a final product over the next few weeks. Were the process not begin until May, it would not leave enough time to do the routine work on agencies' budgets before the rarely met June 15 constitutional deadline for enacting a budget.
-- Dan Walters