Gov. Jerry Brown called Sunday for regulatory, pension and spending reforms, on top of his previous proposals for balancing the state budget, as he struggled to attract Republican votes before this week's budget deadline.
Brown, a Democrat, used a YouTube address to again urge lawmakers to put his plan for temporary tax extensions before voters. He also touted the billions of dollars in budget cuts lawmakers already have approved, and his plan to transfer responsibility for thousands of criminals to local governments to save state money and reduce prison crowding. (Story continues below)
"And then, there's a fourth element, and that is reforms," Brown said. He listed reducing state regulations and pensions and imposing a cap on state spending, all changes sought by Republicans as part of a potential budget agreement.
Democrats need four Republican votes to call a special election on the tax extensions.
"I'm really perplexed why a package of this magnitude and this permanence cannot be allowed for you, the people, to decide on," Brown said in the two minute, 30-second Internet address.
Brown scheduled a meeting Monday with representatives from business, labor, law enforcement, agriculture and education, followed by a news conference urging lawmakers to act on the budget. Despite earlier efforts, the state still faces a $9.6 billion deficit, and Democrats are trying to avoid closing the gap only with further spending cuts.
June 15 is the constitutional deadline for the Legislature to send Brown a balanced budget. A voter-approved initiative would deny lawmakers their salary and daily expense payments each day past that deadline.
