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Jerry Brown and Democrats team up on budget plan without GOP input

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Gov. Jerry Brown said Monday he was abandoning hopes of striking a bipartisan budget deal on taxes and instead would push through a spending plan solely with the support of Democratic lawmakers.

The new plan, which Brown unveiled in a joint news conference with the Democratic leaders, would rely on hopes for an economic surge generating billions more in windfall tax collections. Brown and the Democrats would agree in advance to further cutbacks in case the money does not materialize, though they did not immediately provide details on what programs would be cut.

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A vote on the plan is scheduled as early as Tuesday, and Brown indicated he would sign it. The governor also said the new package would contain further cutbacks to the state’s courts and universities.

“We made tough decisions,” he said.

The governor acknowledged that, after months of talks, he couldn’t ‘get any Republican support” for his plan for a fall tax election and to extend expiring vehicle and sales levies until that election could be held.

The announcement followed a tumultuous two weeks in Sacramento, with Democrats pushing through a budget package June 15 that Brown vetoed and denounced as “legally questionable” the next day. It was the first budget veto on record in California history.

State Controller John Chiang then invoked a new voter-approved law to strip lawmakers of their pay for failing to write a balanced plan. His office, however, said Monday that he would not weigh in on the latest plan being considered by lawmakers if Brown signs it.

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-- Shane Goldmacher in Sacramento

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