All bonds all the time

The Legislature and governor continue to work toward putting a bond package on the June ballot. On Friday night/Saturday morning, the Senate voted on a package put forth by Senate leader Don Perata, a Democrat. But every Republican there either voted 'no' or abstained. After the vote, Perata had this strongly worded statement: “So we’re going to go back to work ourselves, and whether or not we get anything on the November ballot remains to be seen. But I will tell you that for us to re-engage there is going to have to be a very clear set of negotiations set forward by the governor. He is going to have to tell us what he wants from us and how he wants to proceed because I don’t want to hear anymore that we don’t know what’s in this. You’ve got a responsibility just like I do. This was not delayed tonight because of Democrats, and I don’t think it was delayed tonight because of Republicans. It was delayed tonight because we did not have the leadership necessary.” “I don’t think there is anybody in here who does not want to get something done, and we still have an opportunity, but I think the best opportunity has passed us by. So let us redouble our efforts. In the future, I assume after what was said here this evening, that nobody is going to want to something pasted together over the weekend and thrown on your desk on Monday. I certainly don’t. That would be wrong. So we are now talking about November.” But today, Tom Chorneau in the Chronicle writes that negotiations are thawing for a June ballot deal, though a compromise still looks far off. "I've not given up," said Sen. Dick Ackerman, the Senate's Republican leader from Tustin (Orange County). "The governor is still in town working, so is the speaker, we're continuing to work." Officials said privately that Monday or even Tuesday has become the new deadline for the Legislature to place a measure on the June ballot.