Budget fight heats up statewide

Members exerting constant pressure, delivering 35,000 petitions, staging rallies

Updated 2:30 p.m., June 23
This week state Legislature is expected to vote on recommendations from the Joint Budget Conference Committee that includes a series of money saving proposals.

Republican legislators and the governor have made their opposition public, and are expected to vote against the committee recommendations. Their rejection of the cost-saving ideas will set the stage for a protracted legislative budget battle, and the likelihood of additional pay cuts remains.

"It is time we stand up and say 'enough'," Local 1000 President Yvonne Walker said. "We must say 'no' to additional pay cuts, 'no' to additional layoffs, and 'no' to state workers being the
butt of every joke that the governor makes."

Budget recommendations include cuts and revenues
The governor and his Republican allies are rejecting budget recommendations that would bridge a projected $23.2 billion deficit through a combination of cuts and revenues. The recommendations include more than $11 billion in program reductions and cuts, including deep cuts to health and human services, $1.2 billion in cuts to corrections and $7.5 billion in cuts for K-12 and higher education.

Also included are $7 billion dollars in new revenues, including $2 billion from increased taxes on cigarettes and oil drilling, and $5 billion through increased fees and early collection of some taxes.

The committee also recommended other solutions that include selling a portion of SCIF for $1 billion and saving $1 billion dollars by moving the pay period from one fiscal year
(June 30) to another (July 1).

Actions every day leading to budget watch rally
On Friday, Local 1000 members delivered 35,000 signatures on petitions calling for no pay cuts and a budget that balances the sacrifice. The petitions were delivered to Schwarzenegger's offices in Sacramento, San Francisco, San Diego, Fresno, and to his estate in the Brentwood section of Los Angeles on Saturday.

Members also delivered petitions to the Capitol offices Assembly Republican leader Sam Blakeslee and Senate Republican leader Dennis Hollingsworth, as well as Blakeslee's district office in San Luis Obispo.  To see news media coverage of the petition delivery click here and here.

The petition delivery kicked off two weeks of actions, including pickets at all 42 prisons protesting cuts that will make our communities less safe. The actions will culminate in a massive "Budget Watch" rally at the Capitol on June 30 and July 1.