“A ‘Hail Mary’ at the 11th hour? Gov. Brown goes on the road to sell his budget to the public. Why? Is he launching a campaign for his own ballot initiative?”

Road trips didn’t work for Arnold and they won’t work for Jerry.

This is the official launch of a signature-based ballot initiative.  The Gov

“The budget, what else? The negotiations have blown up with a bang. So what happens now?”

Severe and painful cuts.

Brown now has to do what he should have done in the first place – start collecting signatures for a ballot measure. He essentially wasted three months negotiating with and sucking up to Republicans, who

“Is a November ballot initiative on tax extensions feasible? That’s a possibility eyed by Brown, who thus far can’t pry loose Republican votes for his special election on the budget.”

Of course it’s feasible: you can get anything on the ballot with a few million dollars. The question is whether it is desirable. A June

“The Field Poll says a majority of Californians want a chance to vote on the governor’s budget, even though they oppose tax hikes. Where does this leave Republicans?”

When did Republicans start making decisions based on what the majority of Californians want?

Notice that Republican voters are opposed.  Also the poll has a major flaw

“So what happens now on the state budget? Does Jerry Brown pull a rabbit out of a hat, or are we in for a long, hot summer?”

Rabbit!

Jerry doesnt need a rabbit, he just needs … and likely will get … a few Republican legislators to trade in their principles for six-figure sinecures at

“The budget ‘countdown’ – real or illusory? Is that deadline the real thing, or can we go past it a few weeks and still get a budget on the ballot?”

Since the taxes run out June 30, why the rush to have an election on June 7?

The deadline is ‘real’ in the sense it

“Brown’s new appointment to the FPPC seems to favor rolling back the aggressive nature of the panel that has emerged over the past few years, including halting the practice of announcing when someone is under investigation. What do you think?”

The FPPC can (should) be aggressive in prosecuting abuses without announcing those under investigation.  To

“With Secretary of State Debra Bowen officially in the race to face L.A. City Councilmember Janice Hahn for the 36th Congressional District, the contest promises to be a real stem-winder. Any thoughts?”

Hahn has a stronger local organization and a meaningful head start. On the other hand, she’s a lightweight’s lightweight. Both have resources and

“The governor is meeting with Republicans inside and outside of the Capitol to sell his budget plan. What do you hear? Is he making any headway?

He is making headway. Having the Chamber endorse it didn’t hurt.

It’s hard to tell, but he better start selling this plan to the public soon, because these closed-door

“Jerry Brown seems to have won Round 1 in the PR fight over the budget: He directly challenged Republicans to come up with their own plan – and they refused. What do you think?”

Checkmate. The GOP’s only option would be a budget that slashes school aid.

Republicans have an opportunity to show some statesmanship