By Robert Cruickshank Yesterday's SacBee has a Q&A with Darrell Steinberg on the budget. His answers are brief but brilliant - along with Speaker Karen Bass it is clear we now have leadership in Sacramento that finally understands not just what is wrong with the budget but how to properly frame it: Q: Why would the Democrats roll out a tax plan that they knew ahead of time the Republicans wouldn't vote for? A: There's actually some consensus that has developed over the past several years. It's clear from even the way the Republicans are acting in the budget negotiations, there is a common recognition that we cannot cut our way out of this problem. The Republicans aren't putting $15 billion of cuts on the table, for good reason. ... That would implicate the department of corrections and law enforcement, public education, transportation, a whole host of other policy areas that are not necessarily partisan in nature, so now the debate is framed very clearly. This is very good framing. He's pointing out that Republicans tacitly accept that spending cuts are not a realistic option - that even Republican programs like prisons would be crippled. California voters need to hear more of this - that spending cuts are just not possible. Q: Are the Democrats concerned that the increase in taxes would have a negative effect on business retention in California? A: I think the Democrats are approaching the tax question in an intelligent way. Loo ...
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By Robert Cruickshank Yesterday's SacBee has a Q&A with Darrell Steinberg on the budget. His answers are brief but brilliant - along with Speaker Karen Bass it is clear we now have leadership in Sacramento that finally understands not just what is wrong with the budget but how to properly frame it: Q: Why would the Democrats roll out a tax plan that they knew ahead of time the Republicans wouldn't vote for? A: There's actually some consensus that has developed over the past several years. It's clear from even the way the Republicans are acting in the budget negotiations, there is a common recognition that we cannot cut our way out of this problem. The Republicans aren't putting $15 billion of cuts on the table, for good reason. ... That would implicate the department of corrections and law enforcement, public education, transportation, a whole host of other policy areas that are not necessarily partisan in nature, so now the debate is framed very clearly. This is very good framing. He's pointing out that Republicans tacitly accept that spending cuts are not a realistic option - that even Republican programs like prisons would be crippled. California voters need to hear more of this - that spending cuts are just not possible. Q: Are the Democrats concerned that the increase in taxes would have a negative effect on business retention in California? A: I think the Democrats are approaching the tax question in an intelligent way. Loo ...