Brown Urges GOP To Allow Special Election

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) -- In the first State of the State speech of his new administration, Gov. Jerry Brown on Monday urged lawmakers to let California voters decide the direction of the state as it faces a gaping budget deficit, saying it would be "unconscionable" for them to block his request for a special election.

In a somber address to a joint session of the state Legislature, Brown again asked lawmakers to set aside their partisan differences for the good of California, which faces a $25.4 billion deficit through June 2012.

The Democratic governor has proposed a ballot measure this June that would ask voters to extend temporary increases in the state.

- Link: Full text of State of the State speech

Brown noted the recent political upheaval in Tunisia and Egypt, saying the urge to vote had stirred the imagination of people there.

"My plan to rebuild California requires a vote of the people, and frankly I believe it would be irresponsible for us to exclude the people from this process," Brown said. "They have a right to vote on this plan. This state belongs to all of us, not just those of us in this chamber. The voters deserve to be heard."

The budget shortfall has overwhelmed all other issues since Brown took office at the beginning of January. Brown's budget proposal includes about $12.5 billion in spending cuts and borrowing, in addition to the tax extensions and fees that are part of a plan to raise an additional $12 billion.

Even if his plan is adopted, it will leave little money to pay for a host of state programs. Interest groups already have been lining up in protest over the expected loss of money, including mayors and other local elected officials who object to Brown's plan to eliminate redevelopment agencies that divert local tax revenue to developers.

Brown said none of those who have opposed the cuts or taxes has offered credible alternatives.

The Legislature has until March to call the election, but GOP leaders have called the tax plan a "non-starter," saying they are opposed to even putting the vote before the people. While Democrats are the majority party in the Assembly and Senate, some Republican support is needed to reach the two-thirds vote threshold to place the question on a ballot.

A California Public Policy Institute poll last week found that two-thirds of likely voters say they support Brown's proposal for a special election.

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)