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Republican California State Senator Abel Maldonado voted to increase California taxes this morning and a group has already formed to recall him from office this afternoon. The website is here.

Action against Maldonado continues.

A Facebook group has already been formed: Never Elect Abel Maldonado To Anything, Ever Again

Shame on you, Abel.

The Sacramento Bee had this tax calculator on how the Big-5/Big Tax California State Budget would affect your personal taxes the other day.

And, now it has been revised reflecting changes made this morning by the California Legislature.

The Legislature and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger are considering a budget package that includes tax increases. Use this calculator to see how the tax increases under consideration could affect your household. Click on a new cell or hit the calculate button when done and the totals will change.

By the way, when you see how much in taxes you will have to pay this year, remember it was California State Senator Abel Maldonado who made it all possible.

The repercussions against Abel Maldonado who provided the swing vote approving massive California tax increases this morning have already started.

Now, there is a Facebook group: Never Elect Abel Maldonado To Anything, Ever Again

Members of this group pledge themselves to eternal opposition to any attempt by Sen. Abel Maldonado to advance his political career.

He sold his budget vote, imposing the largest tax increase in California history in exchange for legislation he thinks will advance his career.]

It’s time to stand up for Republican principles and apply chemotherapy to this cancerous political career.

Wow!

That was quick.

Abel Maldonado’s political career in California IS over.

Democrat California State Senate leader Darrell Steinberg got his one Republican vote in the name of Republican Senator Abel Maldonado and with it the California Legislature went on to approve the state budget with tax increases.

Voting at dawn to end a three-month impasse, the California Legislature passed a budget package that addresses the state’s massive deficit with billions of dollars in new taxes and program cuts after Democrats and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger reached a deal with a GOP holdout.

Sen. Abel Maldonado of Santa Maria provided the final Republican vote needed to pass a spending plan, which includes more than $12 billion in tax hikes. In exchange, Democrats agreed to rewrite election rules that Maldonado said had allowed the Capitol to become paralyzed by partisanship, leading the state to the brink of financial ruin.

And, the funny thing is that this budget does not solve California’s long term structural budget deficit problems and relies on a special election on May 19, 2009 to ratify some of the funding changes.

GOP Senator Maldonado in speaking in favor of the state budget acknowledged that his political careeer may be over in voting for these tax increases.

Maldonado is at least RIGHT on this.

More later…..

California State Senate Democrat Leader Darrell Steinberg continues to hold the Senate hostage and in “LOCK DOWN” (Senators cannot leave the Capitol) in an attempt to pass a California State Budget which includes tax increases.

The state Senate reconvened Wednesday morning and lifted the call on the tax-hike part of the legislative puzzle.

The roll was called and the votes remained unchanged around 8:30 a.m. 23 ayes. 12 noes.

Senate Democrats immediately called for a private caucus off the floor.

Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, in a brief interview, reiterated that the Democrats’ strategy remains the same, despite the ousting of GOP leader Dave Cogdill late last night.

“The question is does this mean we go back to square one and start over? Absolutely not,” the bleary-eyed Sacramento Democrat said.

He is “focused on gaining the one additional vote” needed to pass the budget, he said.

Negotiations continue with GOP Senator Abel Maldonado on his “WISH LIST” who voted NO on the budget late last night.

It seems to Flap that a TIME OUT should be called and a continuing resolution ala Steve Poizner should be considered along with a special election in May.

Stay tuned….

This is the question as the California State Senate is set to reconvene at 10 AM in Sacramento.

So, what does Senator Maldonado, the reputed stalemate breaking vote really want?

On Monday, Maldonado said he would “take a look at” voting for the budget package if it included financial penalties for future legislators who fail to pass state budgets on time or drive the state into deficit. And Maldonado, who lost a 2006 bid for state controller to a more conservative challenger, said he wants future California primary elections to be “open,” allowing voters to cross party lines to cast a ballot.

Though widely believed to want to run again for statewide office, Maldonado said in an interview: “An open primary is for the people of California, it’s not for me. I don’t want anything in this budget that’s for me. I’m not for sale.”

Yet, Senator Maldonado has made it clear over the weekend what is on his WISH LIST.

The Santa Maria Republican told reporters Monday outside his office that his list of demands includes four things. He wants an open primary system similar to those used by local governments in which the top two vote-getters regardless of party run in the general election. The system is said to favor moderate candidates, such as himself, rather than encourage primary hopefuls to woo voters at their party’s extremes. He acknowledged he plans to run for statewide office, but sold the open primary as more of a “good government reform.”

The open primary change would have to be approved by voters. Maldonado did not specify when he wanted it, but sources said he has asked that it be included on the May special election ballot before Maldonado attempts to run for statewide office next year.

Maldonado wants two items sure to be unpopular with his colleagues. He wants a law passed so the state would stop paying lawmakers if they do not approve the budget on time. He also wants a ban on legislative pay raises and per diem increases in years when California faces a budget deficit. An independent board, the California Citizens Compensation Commission, currently sets legislative pay.

And he threw in one last item: remove the pork spending from the budget package. He didn’t specify what qualified as pork, but leaders already have provided small sweeteners for various members to help win their support, such as $35 million annually for Orange County, where Sen. Lou Correa lives. Maldonado also wants to block state Controller John Chiang from spending $1 million on new office furniture, something Chiang’s office said was approved before Chiang was elected.

Maldonado sounded amenable to only getting part of his wish list, however. “I think government reform is a priority. It could be one, it could be two, at the end of the day, I want government to be reformed.”

It is obvious that the Senator wishes to run for California statewide office and wants his vote breaking the California State Budget Stalemate as a quid pro quo to help facilitate that result. However, what Maldonado does not understand is that by selling out California taxpayers, he will incur their wrath both Republican and Democrat.

The Democrat Leaders and Governor Schswarzenegger have played him the perfect fool. They will blame him as to holding up the proceedings and anything untoward as a result of the passage of the budget they will blame Abel.

So, rather than being an anti-tax hero in the GOP, Maldonado will be played a patsy by the Democrats and end his political career.

Not a smart move, Senator. Not for yourself or the California taxpayers.

In the meantime, California taxpayers can help persuade Senator Maldonado to not support the Big 5 budget deal with its concomitant tax increases. Here is his contact information:

Capitol Office

State Capitol, Room 4082
Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: (916) 651-4015
Fax: (916) 445-8081
   
San Jose Office

100 Paseo de San Antonio, #206
San Jose, CA 95113
Phone: (408) 277-9461
Fax: (408) 277-9464

Monterey Office

590 Calle Principal
Monterey, CA 93940
Phone: (831) 657-6315
Fax: (831) 657-6320
   
San Luis Obispo Office

1356 Marsh Street
San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
Phone: (805) 549-3784
Fax: (805) 549-3779

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Technorati Tags: Abel Maldonado, California, California State Budget, Arnold Schwarzenegger

After a weekend of a continued California State Budget stalemate, the California Assembly and Senate are to meet this morning to again take up the matter.

Dan Walters at the Sacramento Bee has a good summary of the weekend’s machinations – which at the time of this posting seemingly has NO end in sight.

Even jaded veterans of the Capitol’s often bizarre internal politics had never seen anything quite like the weekend marathon over the biggest package of spending, spending cuts and taxes ever to hit the building – a spectacle that’s still playing itself out with no end in sight.

The package was cobbled together by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and four legislative leaders in weeks of private negotiations to close a $40 billion budget deficit over the next 16 months.

Legislators had just hours to absorb the dozens of bills, the most vital of which, under the state’s unusual voting rules, required two-thirds votes and therefore at least three Republicans in both legislative houses.

The outcome was never in doubt in the Assembly, whose GOP leader, Mike Villines, enjoys strong support among his colleagues. The issue has been the Senate’s 15-member, notoriously fragmented Republican contingent whose leader, Dave Cogdill, is always about one vote away from being dumped – if anyone else would take the job.

Cogdill would vote for the package along with Bakersfield Sen. Roy Ashburn, but the third GOP senator was elusive throughout the weekend as speculation – and outside pressure – shifted from one senator to another.

Flap has been covering and micro-blogging the events in the California Assembly and State Senate on Twitter (right sidebar) and Facebook (right sidebar, but below). Continuing coverage will resume at 9 AM PST (now pushed back to Noon) with the Assembly and 11 AM with the State Senate.

If you readers wish to watch the proceedings via live video you can do so in two ways:

• Time Warner Cable Television Channel 233 (Los Angeles area) – California Channel
• Online California Channel here (But, this has proven to be erratic due to too much traffic)

The latest rumor from the Capitol is that Senator Abel Maldonado is negotiating with Big 5 Legislative Leaders and Governor. He will provide the necessary vote to approve tax increases and the state budget in return for a vote on a spending cap initiative, plus a vote on a California Open Primary (Top 2 Washington Plan) election system on the May 19, 2009 special election (called to approve other budgetary enabling measures, including bonds for future lottery proceeds).

So, the question is: Will GOP Senator Abel Maldonado flip to the Democrats and Governor Schwarzenegger and sell out California taxpayers?

Contact one of his offices and ask him:

Capitol Office

State Capitol, Room 4082
Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: (916) 651-4015
Fax: (916) 445-8081
   
San Jose Office

100 Paseo de San Antonio, #206
San Jose, CA 95113
Phone: (408) 277-9461
Fax: (408) 277-9464

Monterey Office

590 Calle Principal
Monterey, CA 93940
Phone: (831) 657-6315
Fax: (831) 657-6320
   
San Luis Obispo Office

1356 Marsh Street
San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
Phone: (805) 549-3784
Fax: (805) 549-3779