Gov. Jerry Brown, left, and Assemblyman Cameron Smyth, center, meet with… (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
April 22, 2011|By Anthony York, Los Angeles Times Republican critics called on Gov. Jerry Brown on Thursday to stand up to his union allies in Sacramento as he was joined on his budget tour for the first time by a GOP legislator.
Appearing before about 150 educators and law-enforcement leaders at Hart High School in Newhall, Brown walked through his now-familiar PowerPoint presentation on the state's fiscal woes, bemoaning the fierce partisanship that has paralyzed budget talks. Last month's breakdown of negotiations, Brown told the invited audience, threatens school and law enforcement funding around the state.
"We can't decide on the basics," Brown said. "And the basics, of course, are public safety and education. These are the ones that are on the chopping block."
Assemblyman Cameron Smyth (R-Santa Clarita) looked on as Republican Scott Wilk, a member of the Santa Clarita Community College District board of trustees, said Brown and his fellow Democrats deserved part of the blame for the deadlock.
"Governor, I think, honestly, you need to take the step," Wilk said, citing some changes he said were needed in Sacramento but are opposed by many Democrats and their benefactors in organized labor: a cap on state spending, an overhaul of the state pension system and limits on lawsuits against businesses.
"You've come this far, and you have your Nixon-going-to-China moment," Wilk said. "And sir, I hope that you seize it."
Brown has been criticized by Republicans for an unwillingness to cross labor allies on key issues in budget talks. This week, he took more heat over the terms of a new contract his administration negotiated with the state's powerful prison guard union, a strong Brown supporter.
The governor's spending plan includes a proposal to ask voters to bless a renewal of sales, vehicle and income tax increases that will have expired by July 1, the start of the new fiscal year. No Republican has agreed to that proposal, but some said they would be willing to support an election on taxes if Brown agreed to changes such as those Wilk mentioned.
"You make an eloquent point for your perspective here," Brown told Wilk. "But we can't say [that] unless we solve everything, we're paralyzed and can't move forward."