We all know that for years the State Legislature and various Governors have used accounting tricks and budgeting gimmicks to produce the annual State budget in what is then billed as “balanced” but really is not. Increasingly this process has included a State raid on funds earmarked by the voters and/or Legislature for local use.
A raid on public transit funds began in 2007 when the State took $1.2 billion for the State budget. That has happened each year since and now the total is something like $ 3.6 billion.
The San Francisco Chronicle reported on October 2 that the State Supreme Court just refused to hear a State appeal on a lower court decision that this State raid on local transit funds was illegal.
This same article points out that other lawsuits attacking the State budget have been filed and are pending: One filed by Senate Pro-Tem Daryl Steinberg claiming $ 489 million in vetoes by the Governor were illegal; one filed by State Insurance Commissioner (and Gubernatorial candidate) Steve Poizner claiming the budget plan to generate $ 1 billion by selling part of the State Compensation Insurance Fund is illegal; and a suit filed in federal court in Oakland by a coalition of labor unions and disability rights advocates filed a suit in federal court in Oakland in an effort to halt budget cuts to In Home Support Services, which provides care to seniors and disabled people.
We are watching another State budget train wreck. Currently it is in slow motion, but believe me it will accelerate.
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