IN LATEST POLL, 41 PERCENT OF ASSEMBLY REPUBLICANS DISAPPROVE OF GOVERNOR’S BUDGET

SACRAMENTO -- A sizable portion of elected Republicans disapprove of the budget Schwarzenegger and Republican Legislative leaders negotiated, according to the latest Assembly vote.

The survey of votes released Thursday by the California State Assembly’s Office of the Chief Clerk found a substantial number of Republicans, 41 percent, disapproved of the Governor’s budget, also known as Senate Bill 77.

Earlier this week, Assembly minority leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Bakersfield, was quoted asking "Why vote against this budget? There's no new taxes, no new borrowing, we cut down the deficit and we added money for transportation and schools." (Associated Press, July 6, 2005)

At the end of the vote tally, 13 elected Republicans, out of 32, voted against the Governor’s budget. McCarthy's office has not released an explanation.

“Why couldn’t McCarthy convince all of his caucus to vote for the budget?” asked Assembly vote watcher and California Channel fan Roger Salazar. “That 41 percent disapproval by elected Republicans mirrors the Governor’s overall disapproval rating found in the PPIC and Field Polls. This is the one time Republicans are in sync with Californians.”

The Assembly vote on Senate Bill 77, conducted on Tuesday, July 7, 2005, was drawn from Assembly members who were asked to vote “Aye” or “Nay” on the budget. The final vote tally was 64 “Ayes” and 13 “Nays.” The “Nays” were all from the Assembly Republican Caucus. The margin of error for this sample is +/- 0 percent.


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