Sen. Huff Says Brown Budget Plan Based on Magic

Gov. Jerry Brown and Democratic lawmakers today announced that they have come to an agreement on a majority-rule budget plan.

The plan relies on an expected $4 billion in revenues in the incoming fiscal year, which starts July 1. That projection is based partially on higher-than-anticipated revenue figures in recent months, the Sacramento Bee reported. Lawmakers said there could be a vote on the proposed plan as early as Tuesday.

Brown announced in May that the state expects $6.6 billion in increased revenues in the next 13 months. If the trend continues, Brown said at the time, the state could take in an additional $3.6 billion in the next fiscal year.

Sen. Bob Huff (R-Diamond Bar), who serves as vice chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, said in a statement that he is disappointed in the plan.

“The new proposal from the Governor and legislative Democrats assumes that $4 billion will automatically appear on top of the $6.6 billion increase that has already been projected,” Huff said.  “That’s nearly $11 billion in new revenue that the Democrats assume will magically appear. That’s a wand that Harry Potter would be proud to wield.”

Huff, whose district includes Walnut and Glendora, continues to call for pension, spending-cap and regulatory reforms to help solve the state’s budget ills.

The Sacramento Bee reported that Brown said if those projected revenues don’t come to fruition, K-12 schools, higher education, public safety and in-home support services could expect to see deeper cuts.

"We have severe trigger cuts that will be triggered and go into effect (without the projected revenues)," Brown said. "And those are real.”

The newest budget green light follows Brown’s June 16 veto of a Democratic plan that relied on cuts to higher education and courts, as well as a plan to pull money out of redevelopment agencies.

The bill also called on Republicans to provide a two-thirds majority vote for a quarter-cent increase to the sales tax and a $12 increase to the vehicle tax, per vehicle.

Brown said he vetoed the previous budget proposal "because it doesn't meet the needs of this state."

Brown also said the budget used legally questionable maneuvers to remain balanced and added to California's "wall of debt with the attempted sale of (state) buildings."

"We're going to get something better," Brown said. "You can be sure of that."

Huff said Senate Republicans are still open to compromise when it comes to reforms.

Brown and Democratic lawmakers have called for hikes to sales taxes and vehicle license fees to be extended to help close a $9.6 billion budget gap, however Republican leaders have blocked efforts to put those extensions on the ballot for voters to consider.

Glendora Unified and Charter Oak Unified school districts have called for the tax extensions to go before the voters.

Huff called for a return to the drawing board.

“Senate Republicans call on both the Governor and Democrat leaders to return to the bargaining table and take steps to bring about true reform that will put an end to boom/bust budget cycles, rather than rely upon a phantom $4 billion that may never materialize,” he said.