Pressing against a March deadline to put his tax measure on the ballot, Gov. Jerry Brown stepped up pressure on reluctant Republicans Monday, calling their opposition “unconscionable” in his most direct attack on them yet.
“When democratic ideals and calls for the right to vote are stirring the imagination of young people in Egypt and Tunisia and other parts of the world, we in California can’t say now is the time to block a vote of the people,” Brown told a joint session of the Legislature in the first State of the State address of his third term.
Brown is seeking a two-thirds majority of the Legislature to force a June election to extend temporary tax increases on automobiles, sales and income. The measure, requiring at least some Republican support, is a major part of the Democratic governor’s plan to close a $25.4 billion budget deficit. Brown also chided Democratic constituencies who have come forward to ask that their programs be spared without providing alternatives.
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