Dan Walters: Jerry Brown's big issues have stalled

Sacramento Bee

Jerry Brown spent the first two years of his second governorship dealing with a chronic budget crisis and finally persuaded voters to raise sales and income taxes to narrow the budget gap. It's debatable whether Brown has truly resolved California's fiscal woes, since the budget is "balanced" only by ignoring several major issues, such as an immense deficit in the teachers pension fund and mounting costs for retiree health care. Moreover, the new taxes are temporary, while the tax ballot measure, Proposition 30, included a permanent, $5 billion-plus annual commitment to counties. Thus, Brown may leave behind a new budget problem if and when he finishes his last term in 2019.

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