Several elected state workers (A.K.A. legislators) aren't happy about Controller John Chiang's decision to cut off their pay and per diem for failing to submit a balanced budget by June 15 (see this Capitol Alert roundup of lawmakers' quotes for the range of reaction).
This blog is interested in what state employees think about the matter. Is this a delicious comeuppance for a group that hasn't felt budget impasse consequences before? Or is Chiang's decision really working against the interests of state employees?
David Kieffer, executive director of SEIU California told The Bee not long ago that if lawmakers didn't make taxes part of a solution to the state's $9.6 billion shortfall, he thought Brown and the Democrats should go back to budget gimmicks.
"Arnold (Schwarzenegger) didn't do every gimmick. ... There's a bottomless pit of gimmicks," Kieffer said.
From that perspective, Chiang's action unjustly punishes lawmakers and could lead to deeper cuts that wind up costing government jobs or lend momentum to more public pension rollbacks that Republicans want.
So how do you see it? We're considering writing our Thursday column about what state workers think. We'd love to hear from you. Take our poll, make your comments below and e-mail your thoughts to jortiz@sacbee.com and include your name and a contact phone if you'd like to be part of the column. We're all ears.
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