What California's Budget is Missing: Red Ink
Never mind the governor's new budget plan released Thursday -- what California's cognoscenti are talking about is the budget deficit. There isn't one; at least, according to the Brown administration's calculations. The passage of Proposition 30 should add $6 billion a year in tax revenues to the state coffers, and push California back into the black.
Schools to Get Increased Funding Under Brown's Budget
California schools are getting the only significant boost in the new budget, including the better part of $3 billion for K-12 and community colleges. Governor Brown wants the Legislature to rework or eliminate most of what are called "categorical" funding requirements -- pots of money targeted to specific programs -- to give local school districts greater flexibility. Like other elements of the budget, that will depend on the willingness of others in Sacramento to play along.
Dems Want to See Funds Restored to Health, Safety-Net Programs
Many of California's Democratic lawmakers who see blue skies ahead would like to roll back the deep cuts they approved in recent years for everything from courts to social safety-net programs. Advocates for the state's poor and elderly greeted Brown's budget with mixed feelings.