Californians approved a quick fix to the state’s current
budget crisis Tuesday, but failed to pass an initiative that would
have helped avoid future disasters.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Propositions 57 and 58 passed
by healthy margins. Proposition 57 gives the state $15 billion in
bond money to pay the bills, and 58 provides some measures to help
avoid future budget deficits. But the defeated Proposition 56 would
have added much-needed flexibility to the budget process by
allowing spending bills to be passed with a 55 percent vote instead
of the two-thirds vote currently required.
The two-thirds requirement, combined with huge amounts of
mandated spending, makes the budget process incredibly difficult.
Looking ahead, Californians can only hope their elected
representatives conduct the state’s financial business in a
responsible way ““Â something they have not done well in
recent years ““ while they work within restrictive
parameters.