Republicans won’t offer own budget plan, lest they become ‘the bad guys’

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Republicans won’t be presenting a cuts-only budget proposal to counter Gov. Jerry Brown’s tax plan because it would be politically damaging and pointless, a top GOP lawmaker on the budget said Tuesday.

Brown, a Democrat, outlined a budget package Monday that he said is comprised of half taxes and half cuts. On Tuesday, Brown met with Senate Republicans to pitch his plan.

Sen. Bob Huff (R-Diamond Bar), the top Republican on the special session Senate budget panel, said that although Republicans dislike Brown’s tax-raising approach, they won’t detail an alternative.

The fight over the GOP failing to detail how they would balance the budget is a perennial one in Sacramento. Democrats dominate both houses of the Legislature.

“Listen, the drill is, we come up with a budget, it gets vilified by everybody and at the end of the day we don’t have the ability to pass it. It’s a majority-vote budget. We’re not the majority. We respect that. We’ll be part of the process but it’s not like we’re going to lead with all the things where we become the bad guys,” Huff said after the meeting with Brown. “The majority has the ability, they have the authority. God bless them, we’re here to help.”

-- Shane Goldmacher in Sacramento