Brown announces tax plan

The governor says in an open letter that the state's financial condition is much better than a year ago, noting that the budget deficit has been sliced by more than half. The bad news is that all those cuts are decimating schools and universities. His ballot measure - filed today with the Attorney General's office - would generate $7 billion for education through a temporary tax increase on the wealthy and a temporary 1/2-cent increase in the sales tax. "The stark truth is that without new tax revenues," writes Brown, "we will have no other choice but to make deeper, more damaging cuts to schools, universities, public safety, and our courts." By the way, the triggering of automatics spending cuts, which is expected to happen this month because not enough tax revenues are coming in, is opposed by nearly two-thirds of Californians surveyed in a Field Poll. That includes majorities of Democrats, Republicans and independents.