SACRAMENTO – Teachers, Firefighters and Nurses for an On-Time Budget today announced the submission of more than 1.1 million signatures in counties across California to qualify the Majority Vote Budget Initiative for the November 2, 2010 election. This number far exceeds the 694,394 signatures required to place the initiative on the ballot.
“It’s time to end the gridlock, backroom deals and political games in California’s dysfunctional budget process,” said Willie Pelote, Assistant Director in the Political Action Department of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) International.
“Turning in these signatures is an important first step towards fixing a broken budget process,” said Dennis Smith, Secretary Treasurer of the California Federation of Teachers.
“Late budgets hurt all Californians and the budget crisis is continuing to be the top issue in the state,” said Kay McVay, President Emeritus of the California Nurses Association, “This initiative will not end all of the gridlock, but it is a step in the right direction.”
The Majority Vote Budget Initiative does three things: reforms California’s budget process by requiring the state budget to be passed with a simple majority, protects the taxpayers by maintaining the two-third vote requirement for any tax increases, and holds politicians accountable for failing to do their job. If legislators fail to pass a budget on time, they don’t get paid and they can’t pay themselves back later.
Also at the conference were representatives of the California Faculty Association, the California Professional Firefighters and the California School Employees Association.
Supporters of the initiative include California Treasurer Bill Lockyer, California State Assembly Speaker John A. Pérez, and California State Senate President Pro Tem Darrel Steinberg.
Posted on
Fri, May 7, 2010
by Majority Vote Budget Initiative