Senate Votes to Restore $283 Million to Budget

The Senate, betting that it will be able to strike an agreement with Gov. George Deukmejian, voted Tuesday to restore $283 million in programs he vetoed from the current $37.4-billion state budget.

The Senate, on a 34-1 vote, sent the measure to the Assembly.

In addition to calling for restoration of $112 million in cuts in aid to public schools and funding for medical programs for the poor, the Senate-approved bill would restore other funds, including $35 million in cuts to community colleges, another $10.1 million vetoed from a program to provide emergency services for abused or neglected children, and $7.5 million vetoed from a program to provide in-home services for aged and disabled people.

The action came after several days of heavy lobbying by school administrators, county officials and others caught in the middle of a fight between Deukmejian and Senate Democrats over the governor’s plan to pay for the programs by tapping “surplus” funds from the investment-rich Public Employees Retirement System.

Altogether, the governor vetoed $706 million from the budget. But he said he would be willing to restore $283 million in specially identified programs if the Legislature went along with his proposal to finance the spending proposals with pension funds.

Among the deepest cuts were $50 million to provide county health services for the poor and $112 million in aid for city schools.

Senate Democrats, pressured by powerful state employee unions, have so far refused to go along. They claim that the governor could resolve the problem simply by appropriating the money from the $1-billion reserve fund he insisted be created in the state budget.

Sen. Dan McCorquodale (D-San Jose), author of the legislation, pushed for a vote on the bill knowing that the two sides are far apart. He said if the measure was not moved from the Senate Tuesday for necessary committee action in the Assembly it might get lost in the rush of legislative business when the Legislature moves toward adjournment later this week.

McCorquodale said counties and school districts currently are putting together their budgets for the coming year and cannot wait until the Legislature reconvenes in December for action.

“We are running out of time,” McCorquodale said.

He and other Democrats clearly hoped lobbying efforts by school and county officials would add pressure to work out a compromise.

State Supt. of Public Instruction Bill Honig, at a press conference with educators from around the state, said less affluent school districts in urban areas, whose tax base is not enough to support a school system without state aid, were hardest hit by the governor’s vetoes. They will lose $75 million in state subsidies. Los Angeles County loses more than any other county, $52.9 million.

“I don’t think programs should be held hostage because people can’t come to a resolution,” Honig said. He warned that school districts, with classes scheduled to begin next week, face “severe, substantial cuts.”

“Students are going to get hurt and there doesn’t seem to be appreciation of that among some people up here,” Honig declared.

Met With Governor

Earlier in the day, Los Angeles School Supt. Harry Handler and other school officials met with Deukmejian to urge him to find a resolution to the aid issue.

“This is a critical blow to public education in all of these districts,” Handler said. “This is money we counted on.”