The Sacramento Bee's Capitol Alert reports today that the special, late night State Assembly and Senate legislative session yesterday ended in the early morning with yet another standoff when it became clear that the proposed budget agreement lacked the three Republican votes needed to pass:
Sen. Dave Cox of Fair Oaks, widely viewed as a potential third vote in the Senate, voted no. He was heavily courted by Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento, throughout the night, having been called into private meetings in both officials' offices late Saturday night and early Sunday morning.
Cox emerged from Steinberg's office past 1 a.m. and pronounced that he was a no vote, saying he didn't need any more information.
Senate Democrats believe a new $10,000 state tax credit for homebuyers is enough to sway Ashburn to provide the second Senate Republican vote for the plan, however.
Less controversial parts of the package were winning passage with relative ease and little debate in both houses. But the most contentious measure, a bill that would increase a variety of taxes by a total of $14.3 billion, had not been taken up.
Support for the tax-hike package is believed to be set in the state Assembly, but Republican lawmakers in that house were unwilling to support the plan without assured passage in the Senate.
Posts
