Brown Might Seek To Pass Tax Extensions Through Legislature
On Friday, Gov. Jerry Brown (D) indicated that he might encourage the state Legislature to approve certain tax extensions before asking voters to weigh in on the issue, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Under the new plan, voters would decide whether to rescind any tax measures imposed by the Legislature and governor (Buchanan, San Francisco Chronicle, 4/9).
Background
Last month, Brown signed legislation to reduce state spending by $11.2 billion. The measures included deep cuts to several health programs and funding shifts that diverted money away from mental health and childhood development programs.
Brown initially planned to close the remaining $15.4 billion deficit by putting a tax extension measure before voters in a June special election. However, GOP lawmakers refused to provide the necessary votes to put the tax measure on a June ballot (California Healthline, 4/8).
New Strategies
Now that the deadline for a June special election has passed, Brown is working with the Legislature to close the state's remaining deficit before the start of the fiscal year on July 1.
Brown maintains that passing a tax measure through the Legislature before holding a special election would not conflict with his campaign promise to only increase taxes with voter approval.
According to Brown, a special election on any Legislature-approved taxes could take place as early as September. If voters reject the Legislature-approved taxes, Brown said he would release an all-cuts budget plan (San Francisco Chronicle, 4/9).
However, Brown likely would face challenges in persuading two-thirds of each legislative house to pass his tax measure. The governor previously was unable to obtain the necessary two-thirds majority to put the tax issue before voters on a June ballot (Siders, Sacramento Bee, 4/9).
Brown also is considering bypassing the Legislature and holding a November special election on the tax issue (York, Los Angeles Times, 8/9).
Next Up
The governor is expected to release a revised budget plan on May 13.
If lawmakers fail to pass a budget by the start of the fiscal year on July 1, the state might need to pay its bills with IOUs (Woolfolk/Noguchi, San Jose Mercury News, 4/10).
Broadcast Coverage
On Friday, KPCC's "KPCC News" reported on Brown's attempts to sell his budget proposals (Cuevas, "KPCC News," KPCC, 4/8).
This is part of the California Healthline Daily Edition, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.