Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg said after meeting with Gov. Jerry Brown this afternoon that the Senate will vote Thursday to pass spending reductions in Brown's budget plan, despite lacking Republican support for tax extensions.
"We plan to go ahead and take the governor's proposal up in a serious way, including passing the cuts on Thursday," Steinberg said. "We're prepared to pass cuts. ... If the Assembly passes them as well, they get sent to the governor, and I assume he would sign cuts."
Brown acknowledged Monday he does not have the Republican votes necessary to ask voters to extend temporary tax increases on vehicles, income and sales, a central part of his budget proposal.
Brown, who said Monday that he might not reach his Thursday budget deadline, said today that there has been some "movement," though he declined to say what that might be.
"There's a little movement, yes there is," Brown said after meeting with Steinberg. "Not as much as I want, but it's there."
The Democratic governor said he still is talking to Republican lawmakers. Five Republican senators said Monday that they were at an impasse.
The five senators, Tom Berryhill, Sam Blakeslee, Anthony Cannella, Bill Emmerson, and Tom Harman, said in a joint statement this afternoon that they met again with Brown today "out of a mutual desire to keep the conversation moving forward."
Brown said he remains "reasonably confident" that he will reach a budget deal.
Steinberg said of Thursday's vote, "We're going to put up the governor's plan."
UPDATE 4:30 p.m.: This post was updated to include a statement from five Republican senators who said they met again with Brown.
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