GOP seeks new budget proposal

Republican state senators, including Huntington Beach Sen. Tom Harman, will make their own budget proposal later this week, after blocking the Democrats’ budget because they said it spends too much.

Republican lawmakers don’t typically have a lot of power in Sacramento, but they’re flexing their muscles now. Only two of the 15 GOP senators needed to approve the $145-billion budget passed by the Assembly on Friday, but all 15 have held firm and rejected it.

“The main reason goes to this issue of spending more than we take in, and the budget that’s been presented to us is $700 million out of balance,” Harman said Monday. “It’s the old mantra — we have a spending problem, not a revenue problem.”

GOP senators rejected Democrats’ budget proposal Saturday and plan to meet today to discuss their alternative, which Harman said they expect to announce Wednesday.

The main demand Republicans are making is to trim the $700-million deficit, Harman said.

He didn’t list specific programs suggested for cuts but said they would likely be newer programs that people haven’t had time to become dependent on. Harman said education spending would not be on the chopping block.

Since the last fiscal year ended June 30, state legislative staffers haven’t gotten paid and lawmakers might not get their checks if no budget is approved by the end of July. Some state agencies might not get their funding in August either, but Harman said, “the impact is usually very minor.”

The pressure is now on Republican senators to come up with a budget that 12 Democratic senators can support. When talks reached a stalemate Saturday, Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata “sort of laid down the gauntlet and issued a challenge to us and said, ‘You guys go solve the budget crisis,’” Harman said.

Now they just have to figure out where to make the cuts, but cuts will definitely be made.

“We have to place the state on a sound financial footing and this is what’s required,” Harman said.