European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - July 18, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 6 b the stars and stripes thursday july 18,1991 California Maine budgets signed bringing tax hikes by Arlene Levinson the associated press California and Maine got their state budgets signed at last raising taxes and sending state employees Back to work. Elsewhere it was budget impasse As usual. Minutes before Midnight tuesday and 16 Days into a new fiscal year californians state government received the authority to spend Money again when gov. Pete Wilson signed a $55 billion budget Bill. A it was a difficult budget which understates it by a lot a one of unprecedented Challenge but i think under the circumstances a fair and Wise budget a said the Republican governor. Wilson also signed a $2.3 billion tax Bill the last piece in a package of tax increases and cuts needed to erase a $14.3 billion deficit and workers compensation restrictions that the governor had demanded As part of the budget Deal. Tuesday was the deadline for Wilson to sign or veto the budget or to allow it to pass without his signature. The tax Bill which includes higher income taxes for the wealthiest californians and the workers compensation legislation both were passed tuesday. The workers compensation measure restricts stress related claims during the first six months of employment. Wilson wanted the reductions to offset the Impact of higher taxes on californians business and Job Market. He had already signed $5 billion in new sales alcohol and motor vehicle tax increases and enacted More than $7 billion in cuts in welfare health benefits education and other state programs. Lack of a budget held up paychecks for 6,843 state workers and delayed refund checks for 5,657 taxpayers. Early wednesday Maine gov. John r. Mckernan jr., a Republican signed a $3.2 billion state budget and put state government fully Back in business for the first time in More than two weeks. The legislature passed the budget tuesday. The two year spending plan which authorizes $300 million in new taxes returns to work 10,000 state employees idled for All but three working Days since july 1. Mckernan relented on his vow not to sign until he got a workers compensation Bill that Cut what businesses pay for the mandatory insurance program. In Connecticut gov. Lowell p. Weicker or. Made a prime time televised speech tuesday criticizing the legislature and asking the Public to give his income tax plan a 2 /2-year tryout. A the Choice then is Between what works and what feels Good a Between an honest budget and another fraud said an embattled Weicker. Weicker offered what he called a fair Compromise. If the legislature reverses itself and accepts his proposal for a state income tax the Levy will automatically expire dec. 31, 1993, unless 60 percent of the legislature votes to keep it. State Senate president pro Tern John Larson and other legislative leaders from both parties said Weick Eros speech would not slow their drive to override his veto and enact a budget without a state income tax. In Illinois state workers went without paychecks As gov. Jim Edgar and legislative leaders wrangled Over How to share an income tax surcharge to help pay for schools and local governments. Meanwhile More than 10,000 of 125,000 Illinois Michelle Elizondo joins other Illinois state employees at Springfield to protest her states budget impasse. State employees had a pay less payday monday. Thousands More were expected to go unpaid later this week. Tuesday was the Start of a furlough program requiring the 100,000 Georgia state workers to take off one Day a month without pay. The move was ordered last week by gov. Zell Miller who also froze hiring travel and new programs. Miller has said the furloughs May last two months until he can offer the legislature plans for cutting up to $400 million from the current budget. 1 Pennsylvania too is functioning without full spending authority. Neither a spending plan nor a tax package is in sight. But in Pittsburgh officials have begun an Effort to avoid layoffs and shrink a potential $15 million deficit by collecting on Long overdue sewer and property tax Bills. Tax collectors will mail 18,142 Lien notices next week to property owners who owe the City As much As $11.7 million. The Bills Date As far Back As 1988. A a it a the smart bomb of tax collection a said Ben Hal liar Pittsburgh finance director. A before you Lay off a single person you want to make sure that every delinquent tax Dollar has been  Gates told to restore Powers of assistant who criticized him los Angeles apr the police commission on tuesday ordered chief Daryl f. Gates to Testore the Powers of an assistant chief who criticized his leadership. Also tuesday the City Council took the first step toward limiting the police chiefs term an important move in starting the process of Gates retirement. Gates has been under pressure to resign since March 3 when a person videotaped White officers while they beat Black Motorist Rodney King. Pressure has increased since an Independent commission last week recommended that Gates 64, retire from the $169,000-a-Ycar Post. Police commissioners criticized Gates for failing to get commission approval when he removed assistant chief David d. Dotson As head of the division that investigates officer misconduct. Dotson had criticized Gates leadership in hearings before the Independent Christopher commission. Gates insisted before the police commission that Dotson a removal Wasny to in retaliation for the assistant chiefs remarks. Rather he said he was alleviating some of Dotson a heavy workload. Dotson also said he did not believe the action was retaliation. But Melanie Lomax the commissions acting president told Gates a you did make changes without consulting the Board. We Are not making a judgment on retaliation. What we Are saying is its important to not have the appearance of  meanwhile City Council president John Ferraro introduced a motion to schedule a special election for voters to approve changes in the chiefs Job As the Christopher commission recommended. The changes would limit a chief to two five year terms and give the mayor final say in a chiefs  team up to bid on Navy bomber from wire reports Bethpage . A three leading aerospace defense contractors announced tuesday that they have teamed to bid on building the Navy a new generation attack bomber. The three contractors Are Grumman corp. Of Bethpage . Boeing co. Of Seattle and Lockheed corp. Of Calabasas Calif. They said they have signed a memorandum of understanding with one another to create a design for the Navy a a a aircraft which is replacing Grumman a a-6 intruder and the cancelled a-12. Grumman said it would be the prime contractor. A we recognized from the Start that we needed to merge the strengths and capabilities of our companies in order to win the a a program a said Peter Oram president of the Grumman aircraft group. Lockheed recently won a contract to build the air forces f-22 tactical fighter Worth about $95 billion. Lockheed was teamed with Boeing the worlds largest manufacturer of commercial  s Home ordered sold san Diego a a judge signed an order tuesday Clearing the Way for the Sale of a White supremacists Home to help satisfy a $12.5 million wrongful death judgment against him. The action by judge Lawrence Kapiloff of san Diego county Superior court should let Tom Metzger a Home be sold within a month lawyer James Mcelroy said. Mcelroy represents the estate of Mulugeta Seraw an ethiopian immigrant killed by skinheads in november 1988. The three bedroom House has an appraised value of Between $135,000 and $145,000. Kapiloff previously ruled Metzger Leader of the White aryan resistance is entitled to $45,000 of the Sale proceeds. A Portland ore., jury issued a multimillion Dollar judgment against Metzger in october after it found that the two skinheads had been incited by the Campaign of racial hatred waged by Metzger his son John and War. The skinheads pleaded guilty in the slaying of Seraw 27, whose Skull was split open in the attack in portland.2 airliners tap wings in . Newark . A two air planes bumped wings tuesday night at Newark International Airport slightly damaging both Craft. None of More than 200 people on the planes was injured. Continental airlines flight 683 hit air Canada flight 789 As it tried to go around the stationary air plane on instructions from the Tower said Continental spokesman Ned Walker. A a it a like a Little fender Bender a said Airport manager James Baxter. Preliminary investigation showed damage to Continentals wingtip lights and air Canadas Wing flaps officials said. The Federal aviation administration will investigate Baxter said. The Continental Boeing 727 had 104 passengers on Board Walker said. The air Canada dc-9 had 106 passengers said Robert Pasquale duty supervisor at the airlines reservation office in Montreal. Both jets returned to their terminals and passengers transferred to other planes both airlines  Fogger blows up Home Coweta okla. A a woman gathered up two children a pet Bird and a Puppy before setting off 18 cans of Bug Fogger in her Mobile Home. She stepped outside a and the fumes exploded. A she could have got by with two or three a said Coweta fire chief Bill Osburn. A Pilot Light Likely ignited the fumes he said. No one was injured in the explosion last week which blew out windows the door and one Wall. Eighteen cans of insect Fogger were found in the rubble enough to treat 90,000 cubic feet Osburn said. The Mobile Home was about 6,000 cubic feet. Dorothy Clayton had just stepped outside when the fumes exploded said neighbor Janice Ramage