Democrats hope for extra tax revenue

Democratic lawmakers agreed to pare back and delay some of their spending plans after negotiations with Gov. Jerry Brown, but they’re not completely giving up hope.

Some said Monday evening that they would try to speed up new spending if tax revenue comes in higher than Brown’s more conservative estimates.

Tax projections were a key issue in this year’s budget negotiations, and Democrats gave up plans to use estimates from the legislative analyst that showed $3.2 billion more in revenue than Brown expected.

“While that may be disappointing at first blush, I actually think there’s wisdom in it on a number of levels,” Senate Budget Chairman Mark Leno (D-San Francisco) said Monday at the start of a joint committee hearing on the budget.

He said the Legislature could revisit the issue in January and that using the governor’s lower estimate “doesn’t close the door on anything.”

The joint committee is expected to finalize a series of budget issues Monday night, including a revised version of Brown’s plan to redistribute school funding.

Leno said a formal announcement involving a budget deal between the Legislature and the governor could come Tuesday morning.

Assembly Budget Chairman Bob Blumenfield (D-Woodland Hills) said he’s happy with the “overall compromise.”

“We were able to move forward on compromises that do achieve the priorities that we’ve expressed in the Assembly and the Senate,” he said.

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Twitter: @chrismegerian