So goes California, so goes . . . . - California Weighs Vote to Renew Tax Increase

From The Wall Street Journal:

California Gov. Jerry Brown on Monday will launch the opening salvo in his campaign to ask voters to help plug the state's $25.4 billion budget hole by extending temporary increases on income and sales taxes.

Mr. Brown decided against simply asking the legislature for the tax extensions, which would have broken a campaign pledge. His ballot measure would specifically propose a five-year extension of a temporary increase enacted in 2009 on personal income tax, sales tax and vehicle license fees.

In a poll last week from the Public Policy Institute of California, 53% of respondents approved of that plan, while 41% disapproved. If the tax extension fails, California's legislature will have to restart budget talks from scratch.

Whether Mr. Brown succeeds in getting his unusual tax-extension proposal put before voters will be scrutinized across the country, as governors and legislatures in other cash-strapped states face similar budget woes.