Maggie's Farm

Down-ballot, Republicans held their “own” in congressional and state legislative races.  This reflects the gerrymandered carve-up of the state into safe districts for each political party.

The post-2010 carve-up will now, however, supposedly be less partisan, opening more election districts to challenge. The voters chose to add redrawing the congressional seats to the state legislative ones that will be subject to a new, hopefully more restrained redistricting board rather than to mutual deals among state legislators.

Further, the other votes – those on fiscal issues – in California showed a clear rejection of more taxes, the Democrats’ preferred way of filling the huge, ongoing budget deficit of about 20%.

Passed are propositions that reduce the state’s ability to scavenge funds from local budgets or to treat use taxes as fees. Some corporate tax breaks are retained. The proposition to legalize marijuana was defeated as voters made a non-fogged distinction between Democrats at the top of the ticket and a rejection of more taxes.

However, instead of the 2/3^rd needed to pass a state budget – which gave minority Republicans a veto over spending plans -- a majority will now do so. The legislature had – finally – passed budgets before by accounting gimmicks to kick the deficit day of reckoning down the road. It will now find that ploy easier, but its ability to raise taxes will be circumscribed and the day of reckoning will be closer.  Also, budget expectations of more $multi-billion bailouts from Congress are now up in smoke. That only leaves the Democrat majority with the options of raising income taxes – already high – which will chase more individual and corporate taxpayers elsewhere and cut state revenues, or of cutting into the state’s program bloat. Brown promised during the campaign that he would veto any new taxes or increases unless the voters approved. If, and that's a mighty big if, Brown keeps his word, there will be program cuts. Education, safety and welfare will vie against his labor bosses wanting to keep high pay and pensions.

In short, the Democrats in control of Sacramento will have to peddle even harder to keep ahead of the economic and fiscal sinkhole swallowing California. Whichever directions they take, whatever their tricks, they will pay a price, well possibly resulting in less of them in future elections.