|
Budget meeting blows up
Senate Republican Leader Dave Cogdill declared legislative negotiations with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger essentially dead after an apparently hostile meeting Thursday in the governor's office.The Republican governor and legislative leaders publicly blamed one another this week for their failure to resolve a $14.8 billion gap in the current $100 billion state general fund budget. Cogdill, of Modesto, said leaks from "Big 5" meetings between four legislative leaders and the governor have undermined future talks. Cogdill said he would attend future meetings with Schwarzenegger "out of respect for him and out of respect for his office." But he said he believes any deal will now be brokered among the legislative leaders and without Schwarzenegger. "I believe that the Big 5 process has been irreparably compromised as a result of comments in the press over the last couple of days, and it's pretty difficult to negotiate in good faith in that situation," Cogdill said. "My personal belief is that any resolution to this that is going to be negotiated will result from efforts with the Big 4 similar to what we were able to accomplish with the budget last year, because, again, I just don't see this process as being productive or helpful." Schwarzenegger and fiscal leaders have warned that without swift budget action the state will run out of cash in February. The governor has proposed immediate solutions that include tax hikes and spending cuts, a proposal that Democrats say they are willing to entertain but Republicans have lambasted because of its tax increases. Posted by: Fred 2008-12-12 |
| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=257044 |