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Democrats Discussed Extending Budget Crisis She said it was part of a discussion over whether it would be better to make deeper cuts this year, to show Californians the severity of the state's money troubles, or to disguise the problem this year and make more drastic cuts next year. "It meant whether or not we do the things this year or next year that let the public understand how serious the situation is," Goldberg said. "They think if we skate by, it was all hyperbole up here. "We're in a crisis," said Goldberg. "You don't have to precipitate one. The question is whether we should make that crisis happen now when it's really happening.... When you wait a year, you double the amount you have to cut.... Is it better to do it now or next year?" Caucus members were girding for what many in the Legislature believe will be a budget approved by the Senate in the coming days with no new taxes. The liberals in the group have been pushing for billions of dollars in tax hikes to preserve education and health programs, and were discussing whether to vote for the budget approved in the Senate or to keep fighting. "There is a wide degree of unhappiness at the state of affairs and how the budget might be lobbed over from the Senate," said Assemblyman Mark Ridley-Thomas (D-Los Angeles), who belongs to the caucus but was not at the meeting that was broadcast. "Some of us believe the budget is neither workable nor reasonable without revenue enhancements," he said. "Why should we support an unreasonable and unworkable budget? The Republicans have no monopoly on principle. If they can strike a hard line, why can't we?" The sentiment suggests that the budget impasse could drag on even if the Senate brokers a deal. Many Republicans in the Assembly are already saying that they won't vote for a budget the Senate passes because it assumes that the recently enacted tripling of the state vehicle license fee, or "car tax," will stand. Dymally said the meeting room the caucus used was unfamiliar to members. "The [microphone] switch was on, but there was no light on the switch, so we didn't know it was on," said Dymally. He called the incident "small potatoes." "Nothing secret, nothing intimidating, no grand scheme," Dymally said. "We did not plan to precipitate any crisis.... We were trying to figure out how to avoid a crisis."
Times staff writer Dan Morain contributed to this report.
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