No Vote Yet

A budget vote, only 48 days into the fiscal year — Cancel those Sunday plans: The Assembly and the Senate have tentatively scheduled floor votes on a budget bill that day. It does not mean a deal is imminent. Kevin Yamamura SacBee Capitol Alert John Myers Capitol Notes weblog JUDY LIN AP — 8/14/08

There has been no floor vote on the state budget yet. I do not understand why someone would choose to not use the public process to draw the public’s attention to a public matter of such critical importance as the state budget.

We are in the dark about the budget.

I have my family and friends calling me asking what is going on with the state budget? Have they voted on the budget yet? What’s holding up the budget? Any idea on when it’s going to be passed? I heared X about the budget, is it true? And a whole string of other questions.

There are 120 legislators. Two houses of the legislature: Senate and Assembly. Each house has a majority party and minority party leader. The 4 legislative leaders and the governor normally hammer out the budget and move on. But these folks are not even talking to each other. There has been a total breakdown in communication.

Lack of communication is the reason why we are in the dark.