Where Is the Budget? Gov. Brown Is Having Diffculty With His Own Party

California voters last November approved a change in the state constitution allowing budgets to be passed with a simple majority vote. As prior posts noted, it appears that Gov. Brown’s budget, while it can be passed with a simple majority, is linked to a ballot proposition that will likely need a 2/3 vote. But put aside the 2/3 problem for a moment. As of now, it is not clear that Brown can get a majority vote for the budget itself, even though both houses of the legislature are controlled by Democrats.

The TV ad below is a good illustration of why Democrats are reluctant to enact the budget, even though it assumes voters will approve the governor’s proposed tax extensions:

UPDATE: Despite campaigns such as represented by the video above, the legislature is reported to be giving preliminary approval to the Brown budget plan, with some modifications. See http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-state-budget-20110219,0,877222.story