Supervisors consider stand on Props. 25 and 26

Supervisors Mark Ridley-Thomas and Zev Yaroslavsky are asking their colleagues on the board to support Proposition 25, which would allow the state Legislature to pass the state budget with a simple majority vote, instead of the two-thirds required now.

“The two-thirds vote requirement has intensified partisanship and made it virtually impossible for the Legislature to approve a balanced budget on time without resorting to borrowing, accounting gimmicks, or severe reductions in core services,” the supervisors’ motion says. “State budget delays cut off funds to the County and force costly borrowing and program curtailments.”

The supervisors also would like the board to come out against Proposition 26, which would make certain state and local fees subject to a two-thirds vote by the Legislature or local voters.

The supervisors’ motion, on the agenda for the board’s meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 26, also asks the Chief Executive Officer to work with the Registrar-

Recorder/County Clerk to determine how each measure’s passage or failure would affect the county’s operations and budget.

Posted 10/21/10