Do you want to save California? We are the Majority! - We Can Fix the Budget Now!

ACTION CENTRAL FOR PUSHING REVENUE RESCUE FOR CALIFORNIA – FIX THE BUDGET NOW.
www.fixthebudgetnow.com

Californians deserve real solutions to the budget deficit. Responding to our economic crisis with deep cuts will only make the state’s problems worse. They would undermine our economic recovery and President Obama’s investment in economic stimulus, disproportionately harm the most vulnerable Californians, and go against our core values.

Is $24 billion in cuts what California residents really want? Two recent polls (Binder, www.docstoc.com/docs/6220193/Reasons-Prop-1A-Failed-memo, and Field Poll, www.field.com/fieldpollonline/subscribers/Rls2306.pdf) reveal that Californians in fact support some revenue increases and do not favor drastic cuts to education and other essential services. These polls counter the interpretation that the failure of the special election measures represents voter rejection of any and all new revenues.

— 74% of California voters support increasing tobacco taxes on tobacco.
— 73% of California voters support an oil extraction tax on oil companies that every other oil producing state has.
— 63% of California voters support closing the tax loophole that allows corporations to avoid reassessment of newly purchased property.
— 63% of California support raising the state income tax for top earners (ten percent for individuals earning more than $272,000 a year & eleven percent for individuals earning more than $544,000 a year.
— 59% of California voters support prohibiting corporations from offsetting more than fifty percent of their taxes through tax credits.

Our legislators should fight for increased revenues from those who can afford to pay. Progressive tax increases need to be on the table.

Yet we understand the reality of Republican politics.

Therefore we also believe that reasonable and fair fees that can be passed by legislative majorities should be submitted to the Governor to sign into law. The Democrats found $18 billion could be raised in this manner last December. Those proposals should be brought back to the table. As Senate Pro tem Steinberg said at the time:

“... but there is an even greater responsibility than practicing bipartisanship and that is to govern. And that is what we intend to do here today.”

www.fixthebudgetnow.com