John Chiang: Working Class Hero

It does appear that our state Controller has basically said "No Dice" to the governor's plan to punish state workers for his own leadership failures.

While the governor is poised to order the cuts on Monday, state Controller John Chiang, who is responsible for disbursing state workers' paychecks, said Thursday that he will refuse to go along with the governor, setting up a political standoff and a possible legal fight.

"The authority to issue people's paychecks is mine. I have both constitutional and statutory authority," said Chiang, a Democrat. "Frankly, (the governor) is just trying to make me do something that's improper and illegal."

The same exact thing happened in 2003, with Steve Westly refusing to cut salaries as then-Gov. Gray Davis requested. And Westly got his way until the budget was eventually signed on August 2. This basically throws the whole issue into the courts and delays the implementation of any salary cut. And that's a legal fight I relish having. For too long the chief executive of the state - and in some cases, the legislature - has absolutely overstepped their authority with regard to fiscal matters. The most egregious example is their raiding municipal government and transit funds to fill in the cracks of the budget deficit, which leads to ridiculous outcomes like cutting bus service at a time when mass transit should be expanding.

But Chiang standing with workers and holding on to his authority as a statewide elected official is just as important. We elect a governor, not a king, and this encroachment on the jurisdiction of other constitutional officers is illegal and increasingly dangerous. State workers who are rallying against the proposed cuts should understand that they have a champion in John Chiang, and that his decision deserves their support. The California Democratic Party has a petition you can sign to stand with the Controller in this effort.