July 11, 2025 Breaking News, Latest News, and Videos

Prop. 27, Budget Mess Again Show Pols’ Selfishness:

Just in case anyone needs new evidence that California politicians worry far more about their own survival than that of the people they allegedly serve, check out the contributions for September to the Yes on Proposition 27 campaign.

Early September was when California legislators adjourned their session without passing a budget, likely meaning there will be none at least until after the November election. It was also when Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger announced that in his view, there was no need to call a special legislative session to pass a spending plan – and took off for six days in China.

Essentially, these politicians were giving many Californians the same message Queen Marie Antoinette conveyed to impoverished Frenchmen who could not afford to buy bread on the eve of that country’s 18th Century revolution: “Let them eat cake.”

For the lack of a budget will likely see the state once again issuing vouchers instead of checks within a month. Payments to schools and counties have been deferred, some health clinics are struggling to get by. And thousands of state contractors, large and small, won’t get paid for an indefinite time.

Here’s what one of them, a child care provider in the Northern California town of Shasta Lake, said in a letter on the day the lawmakers adjourned: “I am on the verge of losing my house as well as my business license because of the lack of a state budget…the state is holding from me three quarters of my income. I have three kids of my own, my husband works, but his income combined with what is left of mine doesn’t cover what the bank wants, let alone the utilities, food, insurance, etc. I wonder, does the governor really realize to what extent the lack of a state budget is hurting people?”

Apparently not. He was off to the Far East with no budget in place. Not to worry, the $180,000 Bentley he drives now that Hummers are passé is not threatened.

Legislators show similar disinterest. But they are plenty interested in their own survival.

They made this plain by donating more than $500,000 from their campaign war chests to the drive for Proposition 27, which would eliminate the 14-person citizens redistricting commission set up under a 2008 ballot initiative. Proposition 27 would throw the once-a-decade reapportionment of legislative seats back into the hands of the same lawmakers whose fate can depend on how district lines are drawn.

The contributions all came from Democrats, including Assembly Speaker John Perez and fellow pols like Mike Eng, Charles Calderon, Bob Blumenfield, and Alex Padilla, each of whom had previously given $10,000 or more to the campaign for 27. Meanwhile, Republican billionaire Charles Munger Jr., whose daddy partners with investor Warren Buffett, kicked in $3.3 million to defeat it.

Republicans clearly hope lines drawn by the citizens commission will be better for them than anything the Democratic-dominated Legislature might come up with. But demographics dictate there will likely be little change in the Legislature’s makeup no matter who draws the lines. No commission can change the way people of similar background, outlook, and economic status tend to cluster.

The same Democrats fighting to pass 27 are also focused on beating back Proposition 20, a Munger-financed initiative aiming to expand the citizens commission’s power and let it draw congressional district lines in addition to those for the state Assembly and Senate.

Republican politicians are staying out of this fight, too, but not Democrats. So far, the roster of pols whose committees have plunked down $10,000 or more to pass 27 and defeat 20 includes prospective Congressmember and former Assembly Speaker Karen Bass ($50,000) and Congress member Judy Chu ($500,000), House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Anna Eshoo, Lois Capps, Diane Watson, Linda Sanchez, Laura Richardson, Doris Matsui, Zoe Lofgren, Howard Berman, Sam Farr, and Mike Honda. All but Chu and Bass are in for $10,000 apiece. They fear district lines drawn by anyone but their party mates in the Legislature. Biggest donor to their cause is movie producer Haim Saban, who popped for $2 million, while labor unions have put up more than $1.5 million.

All of which means the airwaves will be filled with ads on these arcane-seeming propositions long before California has a budget and can resume paying many of the people and companies who do the state’s work.

Chalk it up to venal politicians acting in their own self-interest while paying little heed to the real needs of the people they supposedly serve.

in Opinion
<>Related Posts

SM.a.r.t.Column: Happy Fourth of July 

July 2, 2025

July 2, 2025

SMart (Santa Monica Architects for a Responsible Tomorrow) hopes you are enjoying a great 3-day weekend as part of your...

SM.a.r.t Column: Cities That Never Shut Up – The Roaring Cost of Urban Noise

June 26, 2025

June 26, 2025

In today’s cities, silence isn’t golden—it’s extinct. From sunrise to insomnia, we’re trapped in a nonstop symphony of shrieking car...

SM.a.r.t Column: Santa Monica Needs to See the Light

June 19, 2025

June 19, 2025

How Santa Monica’s Growing Light Pollution Is Eroding Human Health, Safety, and Sanity There was a time when our coastal...

SM.a.r.t Column: California’s Transit Death Spiral: How Housing Mandates Are Backfiring

June 15, 2025

June 15, 2025

California’s ambitious housing mandates were supposed to solve the affordability crisis. Instead, they’re creating a vicious cycle that’s killing public...

SM.a.r.t. Column: A City Dying by a Thousand Cuts

June 5, 2025

June 5, 2025

Santa Monica, once celebrated for its blend of coastal charm and progressive ideals, is slowly bleeding out — not from...

SM.a.r.t Column: Oops!! What Happened? And What Are You Going to Do About It?

May 29, 2025

May 29, 2025

Our Santa Monica Architects for a Responsible Tomorrow (SMa.r.t) articles have, over the past 12 years, collectively presented a critical...

SM.a.r.t Column: Why Santa Monica Might Need a Desalination Plant, and Maybe Even Nuclear Power

May 22, 2025

May 22, 2025

Santa Monica is known for its ocean views, sunny skies, and strong environmental values. But there’s a challenge on the...

SM.a.r.t Column: SMO (So Many Options) Part 3: “Pie in the Sky”

May 17, 2025

May 17, 2025

SMO: Fantasy, Fact, and the Fog of Wishful ThinkingBy someone who read the fine print Every few months, a headline...

SM.a.r.t. Column: Owner Occupancy Protects Against Corporate Over-Development

May 2, 2025

May 2, 2025

This week SMa.r.t. will have as guest columnist Mark Borenstein. Mark is a long-time Santa Monica resident, a retired attorney,...

Opinion: Declaration of Economic State of Emergency in Malibu & Pacific Palisades: A Direct Result of the Devastating Impact of the Palisades Fire

April 27, 2025

April 27, 2025

Malibu and Pacific Palisades Request Emergency Financial Measures By Ramis Sadrieh, Chairperson, Malibu Pacific Palisades Chamber of Commerce    On behalf...

SM.a.r.t Column: The World’s Happiest Cities

April 27, 2025

April 27, 2025

Almost every year, we see new cities, regions, and countries that make the list(s) of our planet’s happiest and healthiest...

SM.a.r.t Column: A City for Everyone

April 20, 2025

April 20, 2025

Santa Monica dazzles with its ocean views, sunshine, and laid-back charm. But beyond the postcard image lies a more complicated...

SM.a.r.t Column: Part II: Rebuilding Resilient Communities: Policy and Planning After the Fires

April 13, 2025

April 13, 2025

The January 2025 wildfires that devastated Pacific Palisades and Altadena left an indelible mark on Los Angeles County. Beyond the...

SM.a.r.t Column: Innovative Materials for Fire-Resistant Rebuilding After the LA Fires

April 6, 2025

April 6, 2025

In the aftermath of the devastating 2025 Los Angeles wildfires, homeowners face the daunting task of rebuilding their lives and...

Opinion: Supervisor Lindsey P. Horvath Community Column Regarding a More Accountable Homeless Services System

April 3, 2025

April 3, 2025

By Lindsay Horvath, Los Angeles Board of Supervisors This week marks a significant milestone in our fight to end homelessness...