If California had just one victor in this week's sweeping referendum against the state legislature's raft of proposed solutions to the state's growing budget crisis, it was Republican state Sen. Abel Maldonado.
After all, it was he who put forth Proposition 1F, the proposal to block pay raises for state legislators in tough economic times -- and the only measure of the six on the slate to pass in Tuesday's special election.
If you'll recall, the state senator from Santa Maria made national headlines in February, when he agreed to cross party lines and become the lynchpin vote to pass a budget in California that was notoriously late, and teetered dangerously on the brink of bankruptcy.
But Maldonado drove a hard bargain, saying he would cast a yes vote for the $143 billion budget only if legislative leaders met a few of his demands, one of which included putting 1F on the ballot for the May election. They obliged, and the rest is history.
The victory of 1F -- which sailed through the polls Tuesday with a near two-thirds majority -- is considered symbolic, as the estimated $500,000 in annual savings will be but a drop in the bucket of the state's historic $21 billion hole. (All together, the six ballot measures -- a combination of borrowing and tax increases -- would have closed the gap by $6 billion.)
That's not to say 1-F won't be a real agent of change. In fact, it already is. On Wednesday morning, an independent state commission voted to slash the pay for statewide elected officials and all members of the state legislature, according to the Sacramento Bee.
The move, which the commission said was largely influenced by the passage of 1F, means that as of December of 2010 -- after the lawmakers' current terms expire -- the annual pay for a California legislator will drop from the current $116,208 to $95,291.
In any event, for Maldonado, who is rumored to be mulling a run for governor or some other statewide office, the passage is a clear political triumph, allowing him to credibly cast himself as a reformer on the side of fed-up voters.
On Tuesday night, he seized the opportunity, hastily issuing a statement expressing his delight that the bill passed -- and anger that he shares with the voters about the "Sacramento double standard."
"As the author of Proposition 1F, I am delighted, but not surprised by its passage," he said in the statement. "The success of Proposition 1F demonstrates the fact that voters are angry and simply don't trust Sacramento anymore."
Wednesday morning, his communications director, Brooke Armour, told HispanicBusiness.com that Maldonado has made no decisions about running for statewide office, which, in addition to the gubernatorial post, includes others such as attorney general and the superintendent of public instruction.
"His primary focus right now is the state budget," she said.
