Phil Matier: Teachers Union Asks California Governor To Pressure Lawmakers Further

SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) -- The California Teachers Association, is applying pressure on California Governor Jerry Brown to bypass voters and go through state legislators to create new taxes to close the state budget deficit.

David Sanchez, the president of the California Teachers Association, said his union could have a harder time supporting a vote later in the year. KCBS and Chronicle Insider Phil Matier said that the CTA is one of Brown's most powerful labor allies.

KCBS and Chronicle Insider Phil Matier Comments:

"Sanchez is saying to Brown, 'hey, in for a dime in for dollar. If you're going to ask Republicans to vote for putting this thing on the ballot, why not go all the way and ask them to vote for the taxes so we can get it done in one swoop,'" said Matier.

Matier said that it will feel easier for voters to extend an existing tax, than to vote in new taxes in the fall after the existing ones expire.

Meanwhile, students have planned mass statewide protests Wednesday against budget cuts they say would devastate higher education.

(© 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)