It’s only a matter of time before Senator Abel Maldonado breaks caucus ranks and goes up on the budget, providing the third needed GOP vote. In his words, there are "no sweeteners," as of yet, but that is presently being worked out. Ain’t politics grand?

My prediction: It will be over tonight.

Once the respective party leaders realized there was no longer any hope for an aye vote out of Senator Dave Cox, the focus turned to Maldonado. Sometime after the Senate recessed late this morning, emissaries went to his office to grab him for discussions. Unlike the Assembly in lockdown on the Floor, the Senate was in an honor system situation, but Maldonado couldn’t be located and his office was locked with the lights out. The knocking on the office door went to no avail.

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This just in from Republican Senator Jeff Denham:

“As I looked around the Senate Chamber a little before dawn this morning I couldn't help reflecting back to the lock-in that then-President Pro-Tem Don Perata tried on us a few years back as well as remembering the famous Speaker Jesse 'Big Daddy' Unruh lock-in in the Assembly back in 1960's.”Historically, these lock-ins are not successful, at least from the majority party's perspective. If anything, they seem to harden the will and resolve of the minority party. Indeed the longer it goes on the more strength the minority seems to gain.

It appears the assembly has the votes to pass this budget proposal andthe senate hasall but one vote necessary for the two thirds vote needed in the senate. We have been in this situation before and I believe we willsee the same resultagain, IMPASSE.The will of the minority is once again hardening.

It's just before 11:00 am now and Senate President Pro-Tem Darrell Steinberg announces that we are recessing until 1:00 pm and I and others plan to make a break for our in-session residences to sleep (really nap),… Read More

Both houses are still in, the Assembly locked on the Floor, in the lounge, etc., the Senators locked in the building proper, limited to their floor or their office. It sounds like they’regetting pretty cranky too…at least they have TV in the lounge so they can watch the Daytona 500 today!

(Note that Nascar’s #99 – Carl Edwards – is doing a backflip out of a car to celebrate the fact that it’s a new morning and there aren’t new taxes!)… Read More

Today the Republican Party here in California is at a crossroads.

We watched from here in the Golden State while the GOP’s brand name was severely damaged by a Republican President and Senate and House majorities earlier this decade, when with GOP control, our party “presided” over growth in the size and scope of the federal government. Credibility is now an issue for our party, because our rhetoric did not match our actions.

Today, on a holiday weekend, on Valentine’s Day no less, at night, the State Legislature will gather in the State Capitol to vote on a state budget deal that is really, really bad news for California taxpayers and their families – the center point of this place is $14.8 billion in new taxes (more like $70 billion in new taxes over five years if all of the taxpayer-pain envisioned in this plan comes to fruition). I won’t spend time in this column blasting away at the poor policy reasons to oppose this plan, Assemblyman Chuck DeVore, Jon Coupal with the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association and John Kabateck with the National Federation of Independent… Read More

Update: Floor session on the Assembly side has just started debate a few minutes ago, with Speaker Bass up first,Iprayfor the best from tonights effort.

As the legislatures caucuses finish huddling right now, no doubt very heated huddlesas all sorts of rumorsand speculation fly,the effect of tonights proposals actually passing seem to create a rather bizarre circumstance that will likely manifest itself in a 2009 special election.

The 2005 special, which was painted and treated as a "very unpopular" one by the press and even by many that would normally seek some of the reforms that were contained in it…and thendrew an apology after its demise by the Governor for calling it, could prove as a harbinger for a 2009 version.

The budget spending limit concept we have sought as Republicans is finally moving forward to a vote barring a last minute blow up of some sort.We have a chance at what we asked for as Republicans, right? If we just compromise on taxes, we can get the spending limit we ask for…or do we.

Youmay… Read More

Director of Finance Mike Genest’s latest volley back in the great Zycher-Genest Spending Cap debate. Genest is responding to a back and forth that can be seen here. No doubt will hear from Zycher soon. Genest and Zycher and their significant others are more victims of pushing through this plan on Valentine’s Day evening…

From Genest:

I have the actual bill, which is in print, ACA 1 in the 3rd extraordinary session. Look on page 4, lines 25 through 28: "For fiscal years commencing on July 1, 2011, this subdivision shall be operative only if a transfer of moneys from the budget stabilization fund to the general fund is authorized pursuant to subparagraph (A) of paragraph (2) of subdivision (f)."

That means, after 2010-11, there will be no more transfers from the rainy-day fund unless needed to put just enough back in the general fund to cover a current services level budget. That’s not interpretation, it’s… Read More

In response to Cap Weekly’s mention of possible GOP leadership rumblings over the current budget deal, Jon Fleischman notes in a post below that he typically refrains "from commenting on legislative caucus politics."

Fair enough. However, the rumors of rumblings does evoke some memories of the last Assembly GOP rumble. Then-Republican Minority Leader George Plescia was ousted a bit over two years ago — and replaced with Mike Villines — ostensibly for the crime of being too accommodating of legislative Democrats and Governor Schwarzenegger, meaning not standing firm enough in representing GOP Caucus interests and ideals when it came to budget negotiations.

Fast forward. Today we have an Assembly Republican Caucus, a clearcut majority of its members sharing the conservative, no taxes stance of the 2006 version. Just last November, the GOP leadership in both houses excoriated the Governor for proposing tax increases. Yet, the budget deal to be considered tonight, as negotiated by leaders of both parties and… Read More

Dan Schnur points out the need for an alternative budget below. This is something that I have been considering for several weeks now.,

In 1993 a member from each party did come together to attempt to "solve" the budget crisis. Republican Senator Frank Hill and Democratic Assemblyman Phil Isenberg actually started to write their own budget document. The budget delay then was 63 days but few would doubt that their efforts helped determine the eventual outcome.

Personally, I support term limits for members of the Legislature but one of the obvious reasons we don’t have alternative budgets is because of the imposition of term limits. It is hard to write a budget that makes sense. It takes experience with government and an understanding of the process.

Many of you will attempt to point to the fact the Hill later served time in prison as a reason this was a bad system. The reality is that he and Isenberg are both very bright men that understood the system and had the staff support to make this happen. His other issues have nothing to do with this.

Right now in Sacramento how many members of the Legislature truly understand… Read More