The State Worker: Majority-vote budget initiative OK'd to collect signatures

The State Worker

Chronicling civil-service life for California state workers

February 4, 2010

Majority-vote budget initiative OK'd to collect signatures

The Secretary of State's office has authorized signature collection for a November ballot initiative that would make several changes to California's budget process, including passage by a simple majority instead of the current two-thirds requirement. It would, however, retain the two-thirds vote needed to raise taxes and allow the governor to make unilateral budget cuts during a fiscal crisis if the Legislature fails to act.

Click here to read the Secretary of State's announcement and details about the initiative.

The proponents, James C. Harrison and Thomas A. Willis, are partners at Remcho, Johansen & Purcell, a firm with a long history of representing Democratic politicians and causes. They need signatures from 694,354 registered voters by July 1 for the initiative to go before voters in November.

Harrison and Willis already have permission to collect signatures for another measure that allows budget passage by a simple majority. That initiative also mandates that legislators permanently forfeit their pay and per diem for each day past June 15 that the state goes without a budget. Click here for more about that measure.

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