Below is the text of a letter sent this evening from Senate Republican Leader Dick Ackerman to President Pro-Tem and all around big spender Don Perata. It is a response to a letter from Perata to Ackerman (also reprinted down below, for context). At some point, perhaps Perata will stop playing games and get back to negotiating on the budget. If he doesn’t hurry, voters might reject his term-limits extension measure, and Perata might have to return to the private sector next year…
July 25, 2007
The Honorable Don Perata
Senate President pro Tempore
State Capitol, Room 205
Sacramento, CA 95814
Dear Senator Perata:
I just received your letter regarding tomorrow’s budget vote. To be clear, there was no agreement as to how we were going to proceed regarding the proposed budget. Your written letter does not follow your oral statements which consistently asked Senate Republicans to show you our reductions to bring the budget deficit to zero.
Based on instructions from your office we amended AB 191, which contains budget reductions that are supported by the entire Republican Caucus. At no time was there any consideration by the parties involved that our staff would rewrite the entire budget to meet Senate Republican criteria. The staff and time necessary for that task would be greater than the short deadline you requested, and your Caucus would probably not consider it.
We, therefore, expect the following tomorrow morning in this order:
1) Bring up for consideration AB 191
2) Take up for consideration AB 203
3) Action on all trailer bills currently at the desk including AB 204
Upon passage of all measures, I request that the Senate transmit them to the Assembly for approval and demand the Assembly’s immediate return.
If these actions do not occur, then we should return to constructive discussions to end this budget impasse.
Sincerely,
DICK ACKERMAN
Senator, 33rd District
As I said above, Ackerman is responding to a letter he received earlier from Perata. The text of that letter is below:
July 25, 2007
The Honorable Dick Ackerman, Senate Republican Leader
State Capitol, Room 305
Sacramento, CA 95814
Dear Senator Ackerman:
We have postponed the vote on the Senate Republican budget today because your language has not yet been completed. I am hopeful that we will have your final language today in time to analyze it and can proceed with a vote tomorrow.
It’s come to my attention that there may be some confusion about what your obligations are and the procedures pursuant to my letter and instruction on floor on July 21st.
The Senate Republican caucus is required to post a complete budget that has the votes of all 15 members of the caucus and gain the support of 12 Democrats — not simply a list of cuts to the current budget. I requested your office to "double-join" both the budget bill — and the supplemental bill making cuts to the budget. A vote on the budget bill is a vote on the cuts and a vote on the cuts is a vote on the budget.
We will proceed as follows:
(1) I will recognize you for the purpose of taking up amendments to AB 203, which I will suggest be adopted unanimously without objection. This is your resubmission of the conference report in SB 77. If adopted, I will suggest that Senate Rule 29.3 be suspended, so that you may take up AB 203 immediately. If there is objection, 21 votes will be required to present the bill.
(2) I will then call the roll and pursuant to our understanding, expect 15 votes from the Republican caucus. If that vote is not forthcoming, the Senate will proceed no further. Amendments to AB 191, your supplemental bill, will require a majority vote for adoption; waiver of SR 29.3 will require 21.
Therefore, we will not take up your supplemental bill proposing cuts to the budget until and unless you can produce 15 votes on the connected budget bill itself.
Referring to my earlier letter, the directive to you and the Senate Republican caucus was to produce a budget your caucus can support unanimously — not simply a list of cuts to the budget conference report.
Sincerely,DON PERATA