Editorials: Lawmakers Must Quickly Act on State Budget
While Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's (R) revised budget proposal "is a bad one because it indulges in buck-passing and ... kicking the can down the road," the plan could be seen as an attempt to "force from lawmakers and the courts something other than a simple 'no' to lesser program cutbacks," a Los Angeles Times editorial states. The editorial notes that lawmakers, advocates and the courts have rejected previous Schwarzenegger budget proposals, yet "seldom counter with useful ideas of their own." A San Francisco Chronicle editorial also takes aim at lawmakers, noting that despite a constitutional deadline of June 30 to pass a state budget each year, lawmakers routinely fail to do so, placing the state's fiscal health in jeopardy and allowing budget deficits to grow.
- "Schwarzenegger's 'Ugly' Budget" (Los Angeles Times, 5/18).
- "The Clock is Ticking" (San Francisco Chronicle, 5/18).