Hold the Applause

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and the Legislature were headed for the cliff Thursday and into another bitter budget deadlock in Sacramento when (Surprise!) common sense suddenly prevailed. Apparently coming to the belated conclusion that no one looked good in this situation, the governor summoned Democratic and Republican leaders to negotiate through the weekend in an effort to settle the few budget disagreements that remain.

In the good old days, like 10 years ago, a Republican governor and the Democratic-controlled Legislature could have cut this year’s state budget deal without breaking a sweat. But the Thursday deadline for delivering a finished budget approached with the sides paralyzed by grim political posturing, even though Democrats and Schwarzenegger were perhaps 1% apart in proposed spending for the coming year.

Schwarzenegger’s scheduling of a Nov. 8 special election for his own agenda had cast a political shadow over Sacramento. It seemed that the budget could be trapped, even for months. Soon, bills wouldn’t be paid and paychecks wouldn’t be cut.

Political spin has gone out of control, clouding the waters. One day Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez (D-Los Angeles) will be conciliatory about Schwarzenegger, and the next, one of Nunez’s flacks will poke the governor in the eye -- as on Thursday, when Steve Maviglio, the speaker’s communications chief, issued a statement saying, “The governor that was elected to cure budget dysfunction has become the cause of it.”

Just as often the governor and his mouthpieces will retaliate. Thursday night, the governor’s spokesman, Rob Stutzman, suggested that the only reason senators were staying in session deep into the night was to enable them to collect another day’s living expenses. That’s a cheap shot. If the speaker or the governor want to make such comments themselves, fine. Otherwise, shut up.

Sacramento is losing its grip on the democratic process. Blame term limits, lax campaign finance laws, electoral districts safe for the party in power, the sway of opposing business and labor lobbies and the two-thirds requirement to pass the budget. None of this will be fixed by a special election or by holding up a budget.

The two sides seem ready to call a truce long enough to pass a budget. Fine, but hold the self-congratulations on what amounts to the minimum job requirement.