Sam Blakeslee, the leader of Assembly Republicans(he formally assumes the job in a couple of weeks, but for our purposes, he’s the top dog…), on the May Revisions:
“Whether we are facing a $15 billion or $21 billion problem, the Governor’s May Revise clearly shows that both parties must approach this budget crisis with a clear sense of purpose and urgency. Now is the time for us to lead with the resolve that Californians are demanding and get our state back on the right track. Assembly Republicans have already begun working to find responsible ways to balance the budget while instituting reforms to help our economy recover from this recession as rapidly as possible.
“We know these tough choices will cause great hardship for many Californians who are already hurting and have great empathy for those who will be impacted. But embracing the status quo will only produce greater pain and deeper cuts in the long run. A budget that addresses only cuts without fundamentally reforming the way state government operates will leave us ill prepared for the challenges ahead. People expect us to work together to fix this broken budget by making the same tough choices.”
Dennis Hollingsworh, the Senate Republican Leader:
"We have a budget that’s grossly out of balance. There will be spending reductions. We have to respect the views of California citizens and first work on bringing jobs back to the state.”
These and other reactions are being collected and posted on the SacBee’s Capitol Alert website here.
The best so far? This reaction from Yvonne Walker, head of the state’s largest public employee union, SEIU 1000:
Local 1000 recognizes the seriousness of the state’s financial crisis. The governor said, "If you have ideas, come forward with a paper and pencil." Well, Local 1000 is ready to meet with the governor right now to talk about the $9.5 billion in potential savings and efficiencies we’ve been promoting for the past 18 months.
Perhaps now, with the jobs of thousands of their members of the line, the unions will support ferreting out waste in state government. Guess what, Yvonne? A key component to reforming state government’s financial woes involves dismantling the defined benefit pension monstrosity, and adjusting the benefits of state employees to mirror those in the private sector. Is tha in your "$9.5 billion in potential savings"?? It should be.