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Senate Democrats Dig In Over Education Cuts

Remember last year's budget stalemate? Democrats say they're prepared to dig in for another long summer if education cuts proposed by the Governor move forward… As Jenny O'Mara reports from Sacrament

Remember last year's budget stalemate? Democrats say they're prepared to dig in for another long summer if education cuts proposed by the Governor move forward… As Jenny O'Mara reports from Sacramento, educators say they're facing teacher lay offs and bigger classes.

Democratic lawmakers visited a Sacramento-area high school to protest the Governor's proposed $4.8 billion in education cuts. Senate President Pro-Tem Don Perata says there's another way to solve the state's deficit.

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Perata: Raise taxes. That clear enough? Raise taxes. And no one's going to tell me that with what's at stake that the average Californian would not be willing to pay pennies on the dollar more for an education system here that is worth what we believe California is about and why we live here.

Governor Schwarzenegger has said repeatedly he does not favor tax hikes. But Perata says temporary tax increases should be among options examined. Perata says he's prepared to stay through the summer over the budget- and has told Senators who want to attend the Democratic Convention in August-to tape it instead.