The AP (6/17, Hindery) reports, "Gov. Jerry Brown angered members of both parties Thursday by vetoing a budget plan approved by Democrats in the Legislature then blaming Republicans for a fiscal impasse that threatens to strip more money from education and vital public services." Brown's decision "made a balanced state budget appear more elusive than ever, even though Brown said he would once again try to reach a compromise with GOP lawmakers over whether to extend a series of tax increases set to expire June 30." However, Brown "warned...of dire consequences in the form of more cuts if Republicans don't yield on the tax extensions and authorize a special election to put the question to voters."
Also, the Los Angeles Times (6/17, Goldmacher, York, Times, 657K) reports, "The Democrats had pushed through the spending plan Wednesday, relying heavily on crafty accounting to patch over the state's deficit, after the governor's talks with Republicans on a tax package faltered." After reviewing the budget, however, "Brown called the budget 'unbalanced.'" The governor said that the proposed budget would continue "big deficits for years to come and adds billions of dollars of new debt."
Veto Leaves Orange County Administrators Uncertain About Next Year. The Orange County Register (6/17, Leal) reports that schools in Orange County are "facing a deep financial uncertainty as they finalize their own budgets for next year, local educators said. 'Schools are still in a very precarious situation,' county Superintendent William Habermehl said. 'They have to go forward with layoffs and cuts they've already approved. And there is still no certainty that those cuts will be enough once the final budget passes, whenever that is.' Habermehl said he supported Brown's veto, in which the governor questioned the financial tools legislators used to balance the budget and threatened deeper school cuts if a cluster of tax extensions he has advocated isn't passed."
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