In a sane world, ballot box budgeting, which is far from the
right way to run an efficient and responsive state government,
would be unnecessary. But in California, that’s truly become water
under a dysfunctional bridge.
In a sane world, ballot box budgeting, which is far from the right way to run an efficient and responsive state government, would be unnecessary. But in California, that’s truly become water under a dysfunctional bridge.
The legislature and the governor no longer lead and engage in the art of political compromise, they squabble and whine and refuse through inaction to do their jobs.
So, in step the voters to make the decisions for them. One of those decisions is on the November ballot as Proposition 22 under the windy title, “Prohibits the state from borrowing or taking funds used for transportation, redevelopment or local government projects and services initiative constitutional Amendment.”
Interpreted, it means the end of the state raiding local government coffers – the city and the county, for example – in order to deal with its own fiscal emergencies. That fits perfectly under the philosophic umbrella that states the closer to home tax money stays, the better it is used.
According to the legislative analyst’s office, Proposition 22 would stop the state from:
– Using state fuel tax revenues to pay debt service on state transportation bonds.
n Borrowing or changing the distribution of state fuel tax revenues.
– Redirecting redevelopment agency property taxes to any other local government.
– Temporarily shifting property taxes from cities, counties, and special districts to schools.
– Using vehicle license fee (VLF) revenues to reimburse local governments for state mandated costs.
Those are good things. The state can’t even pass a budget on time. There’s no reason to trust the state legislators to make difficult decisions that invariably compromise the special interests to which they are so beholden. It’s sad but true: ballot box budgeting is preferable to leaving it to our legislature. Yes on Proposition 22.
