Gov. Jerry Brown is poised for a big victory
June 02, 2013 | George Skelton | Capitol Journal
SACRAMENTO — California is close to making the most sweeping change in how it spends money on schools since Ronald Reagan was governor four decades ago.
And Gov. Jerry Brown is on the verge of a monumental personal triumph — a legacy builder, for better or worse. Nobody really knows.
It’s an example of landmark legislating with one-party rule. The governor pretty much gets his way while being restrained by the Legislature, led by fellow Democrats.
Also credit the Legislature’s ability, since 2011, to pass a budget on a simple majority vote. The backroom dealing would have been daunting if a two-thirds vote were still required.
In this case, inner-city school districts with lots of “high need” students stand to win — at the expense of suburban middle-class kids — but not as decidedly as the governor had proposed.
It’s happening as part of a new state spending plan that the Legislature must pass by June 15. School funding is the big-ticket item in a budget bazaar called the Joint Conference Committee.
Also credit the Legislature’s ability, since 2011, to pass a budget on a simple majority vote. The backroom dealing would have been daunting if a two-thirds vote were still required.
In this case, inner-city school districts with lots of “high need” students stand to win — at the expense of suburban middle-class kids — but not as decidedly as the governor had proposed.
It’s happening as part of a new state spending plan that the Legislature must pass by June 15. School funding is the big-ticket item in a budget bazaar called the Joint Conference Committee.
Read the full story at the Los Angeles Times here.