For Republicans unhappy with Tuesday's election, we have good news—at least most of you don't live in California. Not only did Democrats there win voter approval to raise the top tax rate to 13.3%, but they also received a huge surprise—a legislative supermajority. Look out below.
The main check on Sacramento excess has been a constitutional amendment requiring a two-thirds majority of both houses to raise taxes. Although Republicans have been in the minority for four decades, they could impose a modicum of spending restraint by blocking tax increases. If Democratic leads stick in two races where ballots are still being counted, liberals will pick up enough seats to secure a supermajority. Governor Jerry Brown then will be the only chaperone for the Liberals Gone Wild video that is Sacramento.
So now Californians will experience the joys of one-party, union-run progressive governance....
The silver lining here is that Americans will be able to see the modern liberal-union state in all its raw ambition. The Sacramento political class thinks it can tax and regulate the private economy endlessly without consequence. As a political experiment it all should be instructive, and at least Californians can still escape to Nevada or Idaho.
◼ Democrats’ congressional wins delay supermajority - John Hrabe/Cal Watchdog
A few contests remain close and could change with late absentee and provisional ballots. But, if the results remain as they currently stand, Democrats will hold 28 seats in the state Senate and 54 seats in the State Assembly. Democrats have the supermajority they’ve long-coveted.
Well, not quite.
As CalWatchDog.com predicted in June, two even-numbered Democratic state senators have gummed up the party’s plans for total domination by winning seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. State Senators Gloria Negrete McLeod and Juan Vargas are both headed to Congress and will need to resign their state senate seats. The seats will remain vacant until filled by special elections. Consequently, the Democratic Senate caucus will be reduced by two members and consist of just 26 votes. That’s one short of the two-thirds threshold.
“The vacancies do not change the threshold for the two-thirds requirement, which is 27 seats in the Senate,” Bernadette McNulty, chief assistant secretary of the Senate, confirmed to CalWatchDog.com earlier this year. In other words, Democrats did too well on Tuesday. They won too many races.