Globe

From the Globe Political Desk

   Amidst a $15 million deficit, Dellums recently submitted a midcycle budget proposal to secure Oakland jobs and maintain city services that included a recommendation to shut down non-essential city services once a month to avoid widespread layoffs. The meeting at City Hall followed the release of the governor’s May revision to the 2008- 2009 state budget. Schwarzenegger said that despite lower revenues and a worsened deficit, the new “responsible” budget includes a combination of necessary cuts and new revenues.

    During the meeting Schwarzenegger engaged in dialogue with area representatives about the projected effects of pending revenue shortages and budget cuts. “The state’s budget has worsened since January, with revenues that came in $6 billion lower than projected, and California’s economy is still sluggish,” said Schwarzenegger.

   “The new budget will help to fully fund education under Proposition 98 and will increase funding to K-14 schools over the current year budget by about $200 million. It will also keep our state parks open, prevent felons from being released from behind bars early, and will not raise any taxes.”

    Not on the agenda was Dellums’ request to extend the presence of the California Highway Patrol (CHP) in Oakland to assist the police department with fighting street crime. The CHP has assisted the department since last August when Oakland’s crime problem reached an all-time high. Schwarzenegger appeared caught off guard by the mayor’s request, but at the close of the meeting he promised to authorize the extension of the CHP deployment in Oakland, which is renewable every 90 days.

    Schwarzenegger fielded additional questions from elected officials including Assemblyman Sandré Swanson who, according to an Oakland Tribune article, “urged the governor to see the $2.2 billion that the Assembly Budget Committee last week added into the proposed budget for schools as ‘an investment.’”

    Swanson also requested that the governor “act on the Assembly’s proposal to close certain tax loopholes and work closer with the Assembly to get a fairer share of federal dollars sent back to California.”