Long Nightmare Is Over: Budget Passes CA Legislature

Finally! After staying in continuous session for 45 hours, the State Legislature was finally able to obtain the 6th Republican vote necessary for a two-thirds supermajority needed to pass a budget package that would eliminate an estimate $40 billion deficit by June 2010. Senator Abel Maldonado of Santa Maria agreed to vote for the measure after holding the entire state hostage unless the legislature considered three measures: an initiative constitutional amendment to create an open primary system like Washington State (California's had been previously ruled unconstitutional by the US Supreme Court a decade ago), a constitutional amendment to prevent raises for legislators in fiscal years with deficits and a constitutional amendment to prevent legislators from being paid if the annual budget is late. The last of these was not agreed to (since it is almost certainly unconstitutional) but there were votes on the first two which passed. The open primary measure will appear on the June 8, 2010 statewide primary election and the other will appear on the May 19th 2009 statewide special election at whch voters will be asked to approve other aspects of this budget deal.