Perata says Democrats will come up with bold ideas to counter governor

By: STEVE LAWRENCE - Associated Press | Wednesday, January 19, 2005 9:25 PM PST ∞

SACRAMENTO -- Taking some shots at Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, the state Senate's leader said Wednesday that Democratic lawmakers would come up with bold ideas to solve California's budget problems without focusing on tax increases.

"We are going to have our own ideas that are as bold or bolder than what the governor proposes," said President Pro Tem Don Perata, D-Oakland. "He says he wants to be bold. He will have a running mate in the state Senate."

But he said the Democrats' proposals might be much different than plans outlined by the Republican governor in his State of the State speech and budget proposal.

Perata said Senate budget subcommittees would hold a series of town hall-style meetings around the state over the next six weeks to get public opinion on issues ranging from education funding to prison reform.

"We are going to come back to the Capitol with much clearer ideas on what alternatives we might be proposing in the special session" called by Schwarzenegger, he said. "We will have bills that will address not only issues the governor has spoken to but that go well beyond that."

Schwarzenegger has demanded that lawmakers approve constitutional amendments to automatically cut state spending when expenditures exceed revenue, base teacher pay on merit instead of longevity, substitute 401(k) plans for guaranteed public employee pensions, and give the duty of drawing legislative and congressional districts to a panel of retired judges.

The governor has promised to call a special election as early as this summer to enact those amendments or, if the Legislature balks, to ask voters to approve initiatives that would do the same thing.

Perata said the election should be held in November. Forcing an earlier vote would give "short shrift to public input and oversight to very dramatic changes in the way California works," he added.

Perata said Schwarzenegger's plan for automatic budget cuts when lawmakers deadlock on a way to erase deficits was radical and unprecedented.

Schwarzenegger spokesman H.D. Palmer said such a measure would increase chances of timely action.

Perata stressed that Senate Democrats weren't demanding tax increases.

"The one thing we are not doing is asking for more money as a panacea to fix everything," he said. "That flat out isn't true. We want to see if we can do what needs to be done within the framework of the current budget."

But he said Democrats would come up with a list of tax loopholes that could be closed.

Palmer said the administration would be happy to look at that list but he indicated that it wouldn't support closing loopholes as a "euphemism for a tax increase."

The Senate leader criticized the governor for telling The Sacramento Bee editorial board Tuesday that he wanted to "starve the public sector" and that Democratic lawmakers were focused on the "wrong things."

In the interview, Schwarzenegger called Attorney General Bill Lockyer, state Treasurer Phil Angelides and state schools chief Jack O'Connell, all Democrats, "the Three Stooges" for criticizing his budget policies.

Perata said the "Three Stooges" remark gives the public the impression they have entrusted serious problems to a governor who acts like a child.

Palmer declined to comment on that remark.

Perata said Democrats were focusing on what people care about: traffic congestion, lousy schools, an inadequate health care system and a vagueness about the future of the state's economy.

On the Net: www.senate.ca.gov