Gov. Jerry Brown's Department of Finance responded late this afternoon with a line-by-line retort to the budget proposal that California Republican legislators unveiled this morning.
"A number of these proposals have been overstated in value or blocked by the courts," said Finance spokesman H.D. Palmer.
Among the highlights:
• Finance believes the plan to take $1.3 billion in mental health funds and $131 million in First 5 money would be illegal. It also believes cuts to In-Home Supportive Services and prisons face legal hurdles. Republicans respond that Democrats pursued similar measures in the past. Some legally questionable moves survived because Democrats convinced groups not to sue; Republicans say they believe the same moves can occur again.
• Finance says the $400 million in state worker savings could not be reached by reducing operating expenses. The Republican plan suggested the reduction could also occur through a once-monthly furlough or 4.6 percent pay cut.
• Finance says the state could benefit by $520 million to $880 million by eliminating the funds for affordable housing, lower than the $1 billion that Republicans are counting on.
• Finance says that savings from inmate pharmaceutical costs and revenues from selling ad space on highway electronic signs are overstated. Republicans say they have leeway because they are not counting revenues from Facebook's public stock sale.
Updated with Republican responses.
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