Perata Speaks "Democratese" About Schwarzenegger Budget Revision

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

• Speaks of the most vulnerable Californians in the "free-fire zone"
• Calls on Governor to lead beyond the budget to rationalize revenue, spending, and a tax system that makes us "a sidecar to the federal government"
• Compares state lottery to funding government by "bake sale"

Democratic Senate Leader Don Perata with Budget Committee Chairs John Laird of the Assembly and Jenny Oropeza of the Senate in background

By Frank D. Russo

Don Perata, the President pro Tem of the California Senate spoke of Democratic values in response to Governor Schwarzenegger's proposed revisions of the California state budget. But he didn't just limit his remarks to the issues of this year's budget, and branched off into a philosophical discussion of systemic changes in the way our state approaches raising revenue and spending it.

Speaking to dozens of reporters at a press conference without notes immediately following the Governor's unveiling of changes to the budget, Perata's colorful remarks drew laughter at times, but was also thought provoking and had the ring of candor.

There are values here, and vision, that emerge in between the pull quotes you may see in today's papers and hear in sound bites. Here is what he had to say:

It looks like once again, the most vulnerable Californians are in the free-fire zone. We are not providing cost-of-living-adjustments to those who need it most. We are still trying to take away from people who are trying to live in their homes the opportunity to continue to live in their homes.

It's the same thing, the only thing that we've seen different frankly is that there is this idea of selling things, but that's pretty much down the road and not right now. So we're going to go through and try to understand better why the things that we always disagree on somehow can't just be items of agreement.

Any one of us who have been doing this for a short period of time know the drill. And the Governor is very fond of saying that this is part of the kabuki and we usually get accused of being the people who dance the kabuki and in this instance, I think he's our dancing partner, and he's leading. And I don't want you to make any more of that than you will.