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Tuesday, January 10, 2012

California Governor Calls For Tax Hike To Prevent Education Cuts

Noting that California Gov. Jerry Brown (D) discussed his upcoming budget proposal after his staff inadvertently published it online a week ahead of schedule, the CBS Evening News (1/5, story 8, 1:45, Pelley) reported that Brown "wants to raise taxes on those earning $250,000 or more and boost the state sales tax by a half cent. If voters don't go for that, the governor will call for an automatic cut of nearly $5 billion from public education. That equals about three weeks of school."

The AP (1/6, Lin) reports that Brown said Thursday that if voters don't approve the tax increases, "California faces a smaller budget deficit in the coming fiscal year but will require nearly $5 billion in cuts to public education." The piece details Brown's efforts to end the "massive deficits that have defined California's fiscal planning for years," adding that "Assemblywoman Julia Brownley, D-Santa Monica, said Brown's budget proposal takes a significant step toward creating a more effective and equitable system of financing California's schools."


 

Under the headline "Gov. Jerry Brown's New Budget Plan Targets Schools," the Los Angeles Times (1/6, York, Riccardi) reports that Brown's budget calls "for a painful $4.8-billion cut in public school funds if voters reject a proposed tax hike that he hopes to put on the ballot in November. Despite the possible reduction - the equivalent of slashing three weeks from the school year - the spending blueprint Brown released Thursday is a relatively optimistic document. It assumes he will have to close a $9.2-billion deficit, a vast improvement over last year's $26-billion gap."

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