(This is the story of the week here in California, and deserves front and center attention on Calitics today. Updated with a YouTube of the press conference and a transcript of some of Perata's remarks. - promoted by Robert in Monterey)
The headline, State Democrats determined to raise taxes, is kind of ridiculous, but the meat of the story indicates that Democratic leaders are drawing a line in the sand.
Democratic legislative leaders declared this morning that they are prepared to delay the state budget this year if that's what it takes to get tax increases, which they called the only reasonable solution to California's multibillion-dollar shortfall.
"This is going to be the fight of a lifetime," Senate leader Don Perata (D-Oakland) declared at a news conference on the steps of a Sacramento high school that faces teacher layoffs and bigger classes under the governor's proposed budget, which closes the deficit with spending cuts, borrowing and deferrals.
"We are not going to be going anywhere this summer," he said, referring to the annual midyear process of trying to agree on a budget by the July 1 start of the new fiscal year. "I told everybody that wants to go to the Democratic [National] Convention, ... TiVo it. That is close as you are going to get."
Perata drew his line in the sand while standing with his successor as Senate chief, Democrat Darrell Steinberg of Sacramento, and other Democratic senators and school leaders. Perata said the governor's proposal to cut school spending by 10% is unacceptable, and Democrats will reject any budget that includes less for education next year than this year.
There was a big press conference with a union coalition and the LAUSD today that essentially had the same purpose. The Democrats are going to use this proposed slash to the education budget - with which will impact almost every county in the state - to demand a sensible resolution to our broken revenue structure. Here's Perata's message:
Asked how Democrats propose to make up the difference, Perata said: "Raise taxes. That clear enough? Raise taxes."
Given the state's dire finances, he said, "no one is going to tell me . . . the average Californian would not be willing to pay pennies on the dollar more for an education system . . . that is worth what we believe California is about."
The second statement is exactly the way to play this. California is worth paying for. This state deserves a better education system than it's getting, a better health care system than it's getting, better infrastructure than it's getting. Because of the broken revenue model, we can't even fund the landmark global warming law that got the Governor on the cover of all those magazines. Paying for this state to have the society everyone generally wants is a patriotic act. That's exactly the frame the Democrats are using.
There's a hint of a "go-for-broke" strategy here, which I believe is sped up by the transition in the leadership. We've needed to have this fight for 20 years. Despite legislative majorities, the conservatives have been leading the way on fiscal issues for far too long. It's time to have this conversation once and for all, out in the open so that every Californian knows what's going on. Let's put on our helmets. This is going to be a long, tough slog.
UPDATE: From an Education Coalition press release:
Today a local coalition of concerned parents and educators held a press conference to discuss the real impact on local schools of the Governor's proposed $4.8 billion cut to education funding, including more than $1.3 billion in projected in cuts to Los Angeles County schools. They called upon members of the Legislature to uphold Prop. 98, the minimum school funding guarantee, and reject the draconian proposed cuts to schools and students.
"Schools in Los Angeles are striving to meet the needs of a diverse student population while working to improve student achievement," said LAUSD Superintendent David L. Brewer III. "Our state's leaders cannot continue to cut back on students' education, without expecting to undermine our state's most valuable resource and shortchanging California's future."
The proposed cuts are the equivalent of cutting more than $24,000 per classroom.
They're planning on running ads about this, too.
UPDATE 2 [Robert]: Some of Perata's remarks are transcribed below:
Perata: Well it's not enough. He's cut about 5 billion and he's only half way there. We're looking at everything including the tax breaks. The governor recanted a day later so I don't think he's there yet. Got snapped at by the Republicans and went to the right corner. We want to fund education consistent with the need. First thing got to do and Tom McClintock says when in a hole got to stop digging. We're in a deep hole. I will settle for being eye level with street.
Q: How are you not going to cut the school classrooms?
[Robert: this is the best part of Perata's remarks, IMO]
P: Raise taxes, is that clear enough. Raise taxes. No one is going to tell me what's at stake that average Californian wouldn't be willing to pay pennies on the dollars more for an educational system here that is worth what we believe what California about. Let's face it sending more people to prison and paying $60,000 a year because we don't have enough opportunities for kids when younger . We're backwards. It's not going to get any better if keep doing this. I don't care if it is a temporary tax increase, a long term tax increase, the longer we stop talking about the need to have more revenues and say that's a nice anticeptic phrase for raising taxes the longer we are going to be here. And I tell you we're not going home, we're staying here, we are committed, if the Reeps can hang out last year for 30 days to undue the state budget we will do no less to make sure we will preserve the one institution that is the cornerstone of democracy. If we believe it have to show we believe it.
Q: What taxes, cuts?
P: Hard enough for people to come to grips with saying the words. Now we are wet and you can't get more wet so we are going to do what we have to do. We are going to have to make cuts but we are not going to make cuts out of the classroom. There's a lot of services Californians want that if you put that next to classroom education pales in comparison so they will be put on the table...And say let's eliminate these things because we can't afford them....the Governor thought he would try that with parks, that didn't last too long, lasted about an hour. There are other things we do around here people don't know about we are going to have to stop doing them. Make hard choices. But Savaging 10 percent of the school budget is not a hard choice it's no choice at all. Not going to make that choice.
Q: What can schools count on?:
P: That this is fight of a lifetime. Not going anywhere. Democratic Convention. Told them Tivo it, close as you are going to get. Dems in 90's hung out until October and election year. We won and we won seats. [Robert: this likely refers to the 1992 budget fight with Pete Wilson, which dragged into October. Interestingly 1992 was a very Democratic year at the ballot box, just as 2008 is expected to be.]
Q: What types of taxes, temporary?
P: Two things have to consider, temporary is, we love sunseting things around here. We don't have the best record for the way we spend people's money. So maybe temporary better. We may want to do more allow local districts like this one to have more flexibility, more opportunities to go to their own parents, own voters have kind of schools we used to have before Proposition 13. Before Prop 13 school districts' board members would decide what kind of budget they wanted to reflect their students and set the tax rate. While here ought to be thorough look at everything.
What people seem to like best is a sales tax or raising taxes on others.
