Brown's veto could spark 'war' over Calif. budget

[The Northerner]

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — The warning from Gov. Jerry Brown was ominous: If lawmakers refuse to take the necessary steps to resolve California's budget crisis, the state would become a battleground — "a war of all against all."

The provocative political sound bite, uttered in a March interview with the Los Angeles Times, seems to be coming true in the wake of Brown's veto on Thursday of a spending plan from majority Democrats — the first time a California governor has done so since at least 1901, the farthest back state records go.

The veto will let Brown keep trying to sell reluctant Republicans on his main proposal for closing the state's $9.6 billion deficit by extending a series of tax increases set to expire June 30.

The GOP will bear full blame if Brown is forced to resort to deeper cuts to education and vital services to make up for lost tax revenue, the governor cautioned on Thursday.

Read more: http://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/Brown-s-veto-could-spark-war-over-Calif-budget-1429198.php