GOP Shows No Interest in Tax Proposal; Brown Seeks Cost-Cutting Tips

Republicans in the state Senate have indicated that they will not back Gov. Jerry Brown's (D) plan to let voters decide on proposed tax extensions, the Sacramento Bee reports.

GOP Priorities

Republican lawmakers have compiled a list of legislative priorities, which includes reductions to public-employee pensions and less stringent government regulation.

Senate GOP leader Bob Dutton (R-Rancho Cucamonga) said Democrats should focus on preparing a budget plan containing spending cuts and regulatory reforms to address California's budget deficit (Ferriss, Sacramento Bee, 2/17).

Jann Taber, a spokesperson for Dutton, said Brown and Democrats first must enact spending cuts before GOP members would be willing to consider the tax extension. Until then, "Senate Republicans are not going to entertain the tax measures," Taber said (Marois, Bloomberg, 2/16).

Reducing Inefficiency

Meanwhile, Brown has requested that the Bureau of State Audits and the Little Hoover Commission provide lists of actions the state can take to reduce waste and government inefficiency.

He asked that each list be submitted by March 4 and include five measures that can be implemented by executive order (Siders, "Capitol Alert," Sacramento Bee, 2/16).