Josh Goodman is a former staff writer for GOVERNING..
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Doom and Gloom in California
There's something about the word "doomsday" that makes my ears perk up, even when we're just talking about fiscal doomsday, rather than, you know, the apocalypse. The Los Angeles Times has the latest gloomy news from California: Reporting from Sacramento -- Legislative leaders are weighing
contingency plans for a potential fiscal "doomsday" if a slate of
ballot measures designed to balance the state budget fails in the May
19 special election.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and the bipartisan team of lawmakers pushing the half-dozen propositions continue to insist that the campaign has just begun and can still be won despite a recent public opinion poll showing all but one measure trailing badly.
But, behind the scenes, elected leaders and staffers have begun brainstorming additional budget cuts that might be necessary. That effort comes little more than a month after Schwarzenegger signed a budget that slashed spending and raised taxes to fill a $42-billion deficit.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and the bipartisan team of lawmakers pushing the half-dozen propositions continue to insist that the campaign has just begun and can still be won despite a recent public opinion poll showing all but one measure trailing badly.
But, behind the scenes, elected leaders and staffers have begun brainstorming additional budget cuts that might be necessary. That effort comes little more than a month after Schwarzenegger signed a budget that slashed spending and raised taxes to fill a $42-billion deficit.
These ballot measures probably won't get the same national attention the New York special congressional election received or the same attention the Virginia and New Jersey governor's races will receive. But, in terms of actual policy implications, no vote in 2009 is likely to be more important.
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GOVERNING Politics is the place for news and analysis on campaigns and elections. If there's a ballot measure in California, a legislative election in Alabama, a mayoral election in Anchorage or a governor's race in Rhode Island, GOVERNING Politics probably is writing about it. We love everything about state and local politics, from polls and campaign ads to policy debates and demographic trends.
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