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From the Planning and Conservation League

Pirates of the Capitol: Tentative deal reached in state budget standoff;  budget results in weakening environment, labor protections

February 14, 2009 -- After months of negotiations, including the last several weeks behind closed doors, the Governor and legislative leaders of both parties have reached a tentative deal to close the ballooning $42 billion state budget gap. Both houses are expected to convene on Saturday for a vote.

 

The budget stalemate was a direct result of unreasonable demands made by both the Republican leadership and the Governor to roll back public health and environmental protections and weaken labor standards.

 

It's clear that Senate President pro Tem Darrell Steinberg and Assembly Speaker Karen Bass managed to protect some important public health and environmental programs. However, the lives and lungs of all Californians took a significant hit in this deal.

 

We're particularly disappointed to see that the Republican leadership was able to derail the implementation of the California Air Resources Board's new rule to clean up polluting diesel equipment.

 

California has some of the worst air in the nation and the health of many Californians suffers as a result. The dirty diesel construction and farm equipment targeted by the rule is responsible for a sizeable slice of our pollution pie. Cleaning up those sources was critical to meeting federal air quality standards. If the state does not meet those standards, it not only affects our health, we also risk losing federal transportation funding.

 

 

A small minority should not be allowed to hold the entire state's economy hostage and demand a ransom that they could never get in the light of day because the vast majority of the public doesn't support it. This is proof that we must overturn the antiquated requirement of a supermajority vote to pass a state budget.