Republicans complimented the restraint exercised by Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown in the revised budget he presented May 14.

Several of Brown’s Democratic legislative allies criticized him for being too tight-fisted.

Ultimately, scattered GOP applause isn’t going to translate into budget “aye” votes and Democratic disgruntlement isn’t going to mean less than the 41 votes needed to send a budget back to Brown that looks quite similar to the one that spawned their initial complaints.

What the rhetorical volley does mean is the official start of budget season.

There have been several months of subcommittee hearings and explications of the Read more »

Republicans complimented the restraint exercised by Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown in the revised budget he presented May 14.

Several of Brown’s Democratic legislative allies criticized him for being too tight-fisted.

Ultimately, scattered GOP applause isn’t going to translate into budget “aye” votes and Democratic disgruntlement isn’t going to mean less than the 41 votes needed to send a budget back to Brown that looks quite similar to the one that spawned their initial complaints.

What the rhetorical volley does mean is the official start of budget season.

There have been several months of subcommittee hearings and explications of the Read more »

Saying the state’s “multi-billion dollar increase in current-year cash receipts” is “short-lived,” Gov. Jerry Brown unveiled an updated budget May 14 that gives $2.9 billion of those receipts to public schools.

The $137 billion spending plan also earmarks additional money to Medi-Cal, the state’s health care program fro the poor, whose rolls will expand by more than 1 million persons when the federal Affordable Care Act takes effect January 1, 2014.

“It’s (a budget) that responds to our education and health challenges but unlike ones of the past it’s very prudent,” the Democratic governor told reporters at a Capitol press conference.

The Read more »

Public schools will be the biggest beneficiary by far of the revised budget Gov. Jerry Brown unveils May 14, receiving the bulk – if not all — of the $4.5 billion in unexpected revenue the state has received this year.

The Democratic governor wants to use the money to both augment the budgets of the state’s more than 1,000 school districts and erase several billion of the remaining $8.2 billion in postponed payments to schools made in past budgets.

Paying off those deferrals would effectively place more money in school coffers during the new fiscal year, which begins July 1.  

Since January, Californians have paid Read more »

Echoing previous statements by the Franchise Tax Board and the Legislative Analyst, State Controller John Chiang’s April report covering California’s cash balance, receipts and disbursements shows state revenues are $4.6 billion over estimates contained in Gov. Jerry Brown’s January budget plan.

In April alone, tax receipts totaled $15 billion, Chiang reported. All but $200 million of the $4.6 billion is higher-than-anticiapted state income tax payments. 

“We’ve reached an important milestone in California’s economic recovery. For the first time in nearly six years, we closed out a month without borrowing from internal state funds to pay our bills,” Chiang said in a statement. “But, there Read more »

(The Legislative Analyst said April 26  that despite an uncharacteristic month of income tax collections, the state will likely end April with $4.5 billion more in revenues than predicted in the budget GOv. Jerry Brown introduced in January.

“Our best estimate is that the state will end April with (personal income tax) collections for the fiscal year to date … somewhere around $4.5 billion ahead of the administration’s estimates. As day-to-day collection trends have been quite unusual this month, this figure certainly is subject to change and could go down slightly if, for example, refund activity accelerates,” the analyst writes.

While being above Read more »