George Skelton  

George Skelton

Capitol Journal

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Recent Columns:
June 29, 2009
Once again, Capitol politicians are fighting over how to fix the chronically bleeding state budget. And again, the answer should be clear: It's unfixable.

June 25, 2009
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and the Legislature are down to two options: Compromise or watch in embarrassment as the great state of California issues IOUs. Also known as scrip.

June 22, 2009
Call it the Dance of Death, the Kabuki or the Summer Follies -- the performance they're about to give in California's Capitol is a necessary ritual. But it shouldn't be taken very seriously by the outside world.

June 15, 2009
Animal analogies come to mind when somebody asks, "What is going on in Sacramento with the budget deficit?"

June 11, 2009
Bill Lockyer has some simple, blunt advice for Democratic legislators struggling to make painful budget cuts: Just assume you're not going to get reelected. Then dig in and slash.

June 8, 2009
Jean called the other day from her desert condo near Palm Springs. She'd been notified that the state was cutting back again on aid for the disabled and she was worried.

June 4, 2009
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger invoked Winston Churchill on Tuesday in trying to rally legislators to mop up the state's gushing red ink.

May 31, 2009
Here's an idea from out of left field for how to finally end California's losing streak with state budgets. It is called "baseball arbitration."

May 25, 2009
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger must be reading the playbook of a previous California governor in trying to recover from his thumping in last week's election.

May 21, 2009
California voters sent Sacramento a mixed and somewhat contradictory message Tuesday. But the politicians' response should be unequivocal. They should fix the budget themselves, right now, and not dither over any pain it inflicts.