Experts Expound

“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 pressures lawmakers (and Gov. Brown) to deal with Public Issue No. 1. An added benefit is that it keeps the issue in front of the press – and public. Whether the deadline can be pushed a few days will be problematic.

There is always some wiggle room.

The deadline is based upon having votes to put tax increases on the ballot.  We don’t have that so who cares about the deadline.

The deadline is self-imposed, flogged onward by deadline-driven media, such as the Sacramento “Countdown” Bee. The reality is that the deadline is as elastic as a Laker’s jock strap, and an election could be called two weeks before the end of the fiscal year, which is when the current taxes expire, anyway.

Probably not a hard deadline but it can’t be overshot by too much because of the timeline for getting the mechanics of a statewide election up and running.

Like the Ginsu knife commercial, the “act now” panic is more about spinning urgency than accuracy. The window will remain open slightly longer.

It is a mirage but without it no progress would be made.

That’s a question for the lawyers. The rest of us are left to wonder how long Republicans want to hold their collective breath until they turn a shade of purple not known in nature. This ridiculous gaggle of naysayers is so stupefyingly inane that any thoughtful Republican ought to run screaming into the night with the single thought of launching a new political party.  As every commentator this side of Quincy has noted, Republicans have a chance to influence the process in a substantive way, yet they cannot – or will not – grow into that role.
Deadlines, if met at all, are usually met at the last second, or even beyond. The timing of when lawmakers and the governor reach agreement is irrelevant. The real issue is what the voters will do, and I think everyone is in for a big surprise.

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