California Insider

The Senate Republicans have promised to make public shortly a list of budget cuts they say will balance the budget without tax increases beyond the car tax hike Gov. Gray Davis already has implemented. I'll post that list when I see it. In the meantime, here's my own list of potential cuts that would accomplish the same goal -- all endorsed either by Davis at some point or by the non-partisan legislative analyst's office. Download file

In a joint interview we did this morning with public radio station WBUR in Boston, Davis Recall sponsor Ted Costa said the campaign is not aimed so much at the governor as the entire California political system. He especially cited the 2001 partisan gerrymander and the role of special interest money in the political process. And when Davis is gone, Costa said, the movement will focus its attention on other officials, possibly legislators. This is exactly the possibility that opponents of the recall have been warning of. I have been downplaying the likelihood of recall after recall, and I still think the public would not support the repeated use of the tool for that purpose. But I thought Costa’s comments were provocative, and worth noting.