[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Frank D. Russo

California Secretary of State Debra Bowen just a few hours ago announced proposition numbers for the 11 measures that will appear on the November 4, 2008, General Election ballot.

In a statement released with the number of 11 ballot measures, she took pains to indicate that although yesterday was the deadline for placing measures on the ballot, this requirement can be waived if there is an agreement by the governor and legislature. The statutory deadline for placing legislative and initiative measures on the ballot was yesterday, June 26.

It is not uncommon for this to occur with last minute negotiations that bend and blow through deadlines which are extended with the ballot measure that is passed and signed by the governor. If there is an extended delay, given the timelines for submitting arguments pro and con and other preparation of the voters’ pamphlet, there could be the need for a supplemental ballot pamphlet.

[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.