Legislators often grumbled about being squeezed by Newsom, but felt compelled — not always but most of the time — to go along. As an ideological tenet, Democratic legislators dislike cutting those enhancements to balance the budget, which is why increasing taxes was repeatedly mentioned during last week’s hearings. The comments of state Sen. Caroline Menjivar, a Van Nuys Democrat, typified the squeeze that Democratic legislators are feeling. Will Newsom keep his promise to close this year’s deficit and the ones projected for the future? Will Democratic legislators insist that taxes be raised to balance the budget without deep spending cuts?

Source: Los Angeles Times January 28, 2026 01:32 UTC