Welcome to the latest episode of "Wild West Politics, California-Style," a show where everyone would rather fight than switch.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger comes out ahead in this installment, after
Sacramento County Superior Court Judge Patrick Marlette says he can go ahead with his plan to furlough state workers two Fridays a month starting next week.
But unions representing state employees plan to press on. And the state's
Democractic department heads are refusing to participate. The Legislature's not going along either, though Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg says he'll craft a voluntary furlough program.
At least state Controller John Chiang's on board now, saying he'll implement the furloughs after initially siding with the unions in the court battle.
Marlettesaid Thursday the state's budget crisis represents an emergency and thegovernor's order was "reasonable and necessary under the circumstances."
Finally,someone recognizes that things are pretty bad here -- bad to the pointwhere business as usual doesn't work. Too bad the politicians can'tcome to a similar realization and stop the sniping.
Thefurloughs are estimated to save $1.3 billion over the next year and ahalf, an amount that teeters toward the chump-change side of the ledgerwhen you consider the $40 billion heft of the shortfall, but at leastit's a start. Or it would be if Marlette's order meant an end to thedrama that's played since Schwarzenegger announced the plan back inDecember. The Service Employees International Union, which representspart of the roughly 235,000 state employees, already has filed a grievance with the Public Employees Relations Board.
Schwarzenegger also was ready to fire back if he'd lost Thursday, vowing on the eve of the hearing to lay off enough workers to make up the $1.3 billion if the furloughs were blocked.
It'sa sad, sad situation for state workers, for whom the two unpaid days amonth would amount to a 10 percent pay cut. There's no denying thefinancial loss will hit many hard, particularly the ones on the lowerend of the pay scale. But, still,
furloughs are happening in private and public sectors across country without the process being nearly as painful as the on-going Sacramento saga.
They're even happening elsewhere in California. Teachers in San Joseagreed to furloughs to help the district balance its budget, thoughthey OK'd 1 percent cuts, not 10. But because of the long-standing illwill between Schwarzenegger and the union, not to mention thechildishly head-strong predisposition for partisan politics to coloreverything in Sacramento these days, California can't pull this offwithout a blood bath.
Contrast that to the situation at an Owens-Corning plant in New Jersey, where the union agreed to up to 93 furlough days this year. At least some folks recognize a crisis when they see one.
Seems the judge is the only person involved in the furlough issue to realize that.
"This state is in a huge mess . . . the scope of which is unprecedented," Marlette said Thursday.
Some California state workers realize that, too.
In a recent email to the The Sacramento Bee Kendall Koller wrote, "Wefeel betrayed (again) by the governor … but we would rather take a paycut than see co-workers and friends sent packing into the turbulent,and honestly, scary world of the unemployed,"
At least she's trying to look on the bright side.