[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Frank D. Russo

The California Field Poll has just released figures from their survey of registered voters, which they describe as “paradoxical views about the state deficit.”

This survey of over a thousand voters, gives us a big clue as to why we are in the mess we are in when it comes to the budget and getting our state’s fiscal house in order. In short, voters say that they prefer that the massive budget deficit be dealt with mostly by spending cuts over being dealt with by mostly tax increases. As a general principle, they say this overwhelmingly—63% to 26%. But when asked about making cuts in specific areas of the budget, by even larger margins they oppose cuts in the vast majority of these areas. And they have deep concerns about budget cuts in health, an area measured in some detail as to different kinds of health programs funded by the state budget.

[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's May budget proposal has been universally panned by editorial boards up and down the state. But the Governor is still trying to put lipstick on this pig, judging by his comments at the Sacramento Host Breakfast yesterday.

According to the Associated Press, "Schwarzenegger said his $144.3 billion budget is a moderate plan that could be supported by legislators of both political parties.

'Deep down inside, the legislators know that this is the way to go because the Democrats want to raise taxes, the Republicans want to make all cuts. I think that we have to meet somewhere in the middle. That's exactly what our budget does. It's using revenues and using cuts in order to solve the problem.'"

Actually, Governor, Democrats don't want to raise taxes. Democrats do believe, however, they have to be part of a balanced solution. You know, the kind of solution that Gov. Pete Wilson (a Republican who actually had the guts to be straight with Californians about taxes) proposed the last time we had a budget headache like this one.

There's more...

by Robert in Monterey [courtesy of Calitics - Front Page]

by Trudy Zaja [courtesy of Blog for America]

Daily Herald: Report says Illinois government is among worst

Associated Press Published: 3/4/2008 12:15 AM

SPRINGFIELD -- A messy state budget picture and constant fighting at the state Capitol have earned Illinois poor marks for governmental management and performance from a public interest watchdog group. The Washington, D.C.-based Pew Center on the States put Illinois near the bottom of its rankings in the report released Monday covering how well the 50 states manage their money, people, information and infrastructure.

Illinois received an overall grade of C, but that's only better than New Hampshire and Rhode Island and tied with six other states in the ratings basement. Illinois also scored worse than the B grades received by each of its five neighboring states.

The governor's office says the report mistakenly focuses more on politics than policy. But an Illinois-based watchdog group praised the report for vindicating its past warnings about an assortment of state government problems.

(Click Read More for the rest of this post)

by Robert in Monterey [courtesy of Calitics - Front Page]

[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

Governor Scharzenegger declared a fiscal emergencytoday, requiring every state department to slash 10% of their budgetsin an effort to close California’s $14.5 billion deficit, reports theSan Francisco Chronicle. The Governor’s proposed budget will take $4.5billion away from public schools over the next year and a half, andresult in the early release of up to 35,000 prison inmates in the nexttwo years. In order to make the cuts to education, the legislaturewould have to vote to suspend Proposition 98, which mandates that 40%of the state budget must be spent on schools.

The California Progress Report is lamenting Governor Schwarzenegger’s proposal to cut funding for a state program which provides home careto hundreds of thousands of disabled and elderly people in California.The In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) receives bipartisan support, butthe Governor has routinely cut funding for the program in order tobalance the state budget.

by Julia Rosen [courtesy of Working Californians blogs]

$14 billion is the new projected budget deficit for the state of California. The forecast last month was a mere $9.8 billion. It is an enormous number and a jaw dropping jump. SacBee:

The growing estimate increases pressure on Schwarzenegger and lawmakers to cut state spending and consider tax increases to close the budget hole. Schwarzenegger last month ordered all departments to prepare spending plans 10 percent below than what they had anticipated, and GOP lawmakers are calling for immediate midyear cuts in spending.

Naturally the Republicans want more cuts. That is always their solution, unfortunately the state has run out of fat and places to cuts. Any more will go right to needed programs. The place to address this problem is on the supply side.

The state needs to take a hard look at the fundamental ways we construct our state budget and where our revenue is coming from. This should have happened years ago, but we relied on gimmicks and a roaring economy to ignore the problem. We cannot do that this time.

See also Dave Dayen at Calitics.