(Cont. from Part 1) << [Democrat and state senate president pro tem John] Burton told the Senate that the plan would create an autocracy, but he also warned Republicans it would lead to one unintended consequence: Burton, who occasionally becomes acting governor when the governor and lieutenant governor are out of the state, could himself declare an "emergency" and raise taxes without the Legislature. ... >>
<< ... Democrats said such a plan would force a $2 billion cut in education funding and would mean another $2 billion less for community colleges. They said it grants the governor too much power to make budget cuts without consulting the Legislature. >>
Apart from displaying the increasingly authoritarian tendencies of the Repubican Party in the proposed new powers for the executive, the idea of a spending cap is mostly a gimmick. The legislature and the governor still have to make the balancing happen through spending and taxing decisions. And as long as California's addiction to government by initiative continues, adjustments to the spending caps for favored programs will be built into one iniative after another.
Schwarzenegger is now threatening to put both measures on the ballot for next November. It's hard to say at this point how they will play a year from now. That will also be the same ballot for the Presidential election, when the highest turnouts normally occur. A high turnout is unlikely to be favorable to the spending cap and give-the-governor-the-power-to-raise-taxes-on-his-own proposal.
It means that Schwarzenegger will have to step up his fundraising.
And it means that Schwarzenegger and the Republicans will have to find some ways in the short run to make program cuts and/or revenue adjustments (raising taxes and fees) to cover the budget shortfalls which he just increased by $4 billion to pay for his vehicle license fee cut.
This stuff ain't nearly as much fun as campaigning.
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