[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Frank D. Russo

The Governor spoke briefly this afternoon at 1 p.m. on the May revise of his proposed California budget, took a few questions, and left in a little over 20 minutes. Ne was followed by Michael Genest, his cabinet member who heads the Department of Finance and who is in charge of the details on the budget and who walked reporters through an overview of the budget and took a number of questions from reporters.

The Administration pegged the budget deficit at $17.2 billion and said it would have been $24.7 billion had the legislature not acted earlier this year and made changes and cuts totaling $7.5 billion.

The Governor and Genest frankly admitted that the cuts being made are painful and were difficult choices. Despite the spin being put on the proposals, such as that education is being “fully funded” as required by the state constitutional minimum requirements of Proposition 98, John Laird, the Assembly Budget Chair released a statement and a 46 page report indicating there are $4 billion in cuts to education. There also are severe cuts in health and human services—where 26% of the cuts were proposed by the Governor in areas that include the payments made to Social Security recipients and payments to those who provide in home supportive services to the disabled, aged, and infirm.

[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

It looks like the Republican's favorite tax cut -- a tax cut for yacht buyers -- is going to be history. Both the Senate and Assembly Budget committees have voted for its elimination.

Only Republican Assemblymember Roger Niello struggled to make a logical argument protesting its elimination while moments before slashing benefits for the lowest-income Californians (he eventually stayed off the bill). But even GOP stalwarts like Assemblymember Chuck DeVore and four other Assembly GOP'rs ended up voting for it.
 
Kudos to Assemblymember Dave Jones and others for spearheading the drive to rid our tax code of this provision.

Image courtesy Costumzee.

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

Consumer and Community Advocates Argue Against Sinking Status Quo; Support AB X1 1

By Anthony Wright
Executive Director of Health Access California

On the day of an crucial hearing at the Senate Health Committee, many consumer and community advocacy groups urged for the passage of AB x1 1 (Nunez), that would secure or expand coverage to over 95% of California consumers.

This reform not only extends coverage to the vast majority of the uninsured, but provides assistance and assurance to millions of Californians with coverage, who are concerned it's not going to be there for them when they need it. This reform doesn't solve all the problems in our health system, but it fixes many of them, and provides a platform from which we can address the rest.

The reform proposal to be heard in the Senate Health Committee will provide significant help to not just low-income and uninsured Californians, but for families up and down the income scale, and for those insured, whether on the job, through a public program, or as a purchaser on the individual market.

For a full description of the help that different categories of Californians get, visit the Health Access California analysis.