THE GOVERNOR AND THE LEGISLATURE NEED TO DO THEIR JOBS AND GET A CALIFORNIA STATE BUDGET ENACTED..........

During the year of 1990, I was afforded the opportunity as a Catholic priest with an interest and avocation in politics and government, to serve as the Chaplain of the California State Senate. Seventy six times that year I gave the Invocation, on Mondays and Thursdays, at the beginning of the legislative day, and daily during a protracted period during which the state budget was being negotiated for Fiscal Year 1990-91. Three weeks into Fiscal Year 1990-91, with the Legislature meeting daily to work on finalizing the Budget and my having to deliver an Invocation each day, I decided to speak to the budget impasse and prayerfully tell, the Legislators, Governor, and Citizens, of California what had to be done. Invoking God's Countenance on a productive and expeditious resolution to that year's Budget Crisis, I boldly and unreservedly proclaimed that Governor Deukmejian, Speaker Brown, and President Pro Tem Roberti needed to exercise the fullness of their leadership and prevail upon the State Assembly and Senate members to reach agreement and immediately pass the new Budget. And I urged California Citizens to demand that elected leaders get their constitutional duty done by end of July, or initiate proceedings against them. The outcome to that day and my prayer was, that as I was going to bed at 10:30 pm, in the Folsom rectory, I turned on the radio for the bottom of the hour news, and the KFBK newscaster led with, "The State Senate passed a Budget tonight"..........Upon my return to the Senate Chambers at the State Capitol the next day, one of the Southern California Senators, a Catholic, who upon my departure the day before had told me how, "bold" I was being telling them to get their job done, greeted me with, "Father, Good Morning, we listened to you yesterday and passed the Budget last night"..........In the twenty years since I have grown even more vehement about this subject. June 15, is the state constitutional deadline for the Legislature to pass a State Budget. Should they fail to do so, from June 16-30, the legislators per diem should be cancelled. For every day from July 1, until passage of the Budget thereafter, all their salary, benefits, per diem, and their state cars, should be cancelled. They should be locked in their respective chambers, until they reach agreement on a Budget, no leaving, or vacations permitted until they do so. The Governor must during that time step up and exercise his governing authority to get the annual budget passed and signed into law, or as of July 15, face automatic recall from office in a special election the first Tuesday of August. The California State Supreme Court should then legally enjoin the State Controller and Treasurer to make provisions for addressing the financial and social safety net required during the crisis period. And the Citizens of California need to exact full personal and political pressure upon State Officials to do their jobs and get the Budget done before August 15..........For the umpteenth time in twenty years the 2010-11 State Budget, is now 44 days overdue. None of the above stated is a part of the process, thus the same ol', same 'ol, petty, partisan politics and the citizens, state employees, vendors, state services, and our bond and debt ratings, unduly and unconsciousably suffer, due to the grandstanding, intransigence, and incompetence of California's leaders. By way of my blog, I issue twenty years later as I did from the dias of the State Senate the invocation, Governor, Legislature, Citizens, get a new, California State Budget passed now. Your poltical delays and summer break are a travesty of irresponsibility. Do your jobs and put the People of California first, not just your own, self serving political agendas..........The Time For Action Is Past Due, Reverend Father Troy David Powers 1990 California State Senate Chaplain