SACRAMENTO — Expressing concern that lawmakers are way behind schedule in closing California's budget hole, Republicans on Tuesday proposed giving Gov. Gray Davis power to cut programs from the current year's budget without approval by the Legislature.
The latest attempt by Republicans to collaborate with the governor comes days after lawmakers reached agreement on a first round of program cuts to deal with the state's fiscal problems.
Republicans say the $3.5 billion in current-year reductions they adopted this week are too little, too late in the context of a budget shortfall of up to $35 billion over the next 16 months.
The gravity of that situation, combined with frustration over the lack of progress toward resolving it, helped forge the unusual common interest between legislative Republicans and the Democratic governor, whom some Republicans are seeking to recall from office even as others back the measure to increase his budget powers.
Democratic legislative leaders, whose party holds the commanding advantage in both the Assembly and Senate, say they are not prepared to support the idea, which they disparaged as political gamesmanship.
"This is an attempt to punt the ball and stay on the sidelines," said Assembly Speaker Herb Wesson (D-Culver City), who called on Assembly Republicans to bring a plan to the table that balances the budget, as their counterparts in the Senate have.
"The way you get engaged is to come up with a comprehensive plan
Finance department Director Steve Peace said he discussed the proposal with one of its Republican authors while it was being drafted, but the administration is withholding comment until Peace and others review the bill.
In the budget proposal for the fiscal year that begins July 1, Davis asked the Legislature to give him the authority to "make midyear budget adjustments when revenues fall significantly below anticipated levels."
The GOP embraced the idea at the time, but there was no Democratic support.
The latest Republican proposal would give Davis the power to make budget adjustments only in the 2002-03 budget that runs through June. Republicans join Davis in supporting another $2 billion in cuts from state programs over the next four months. Many Democrats say the reductions would be too hard on the poor.
