Update (12:33 PM): A friend up in Sacramento just sent this screenshot of the budget vote.  Senator Ackerman did indeed vote no, and Senator Correa abstained.  The vote was straight party-line, with only Correa abstaining.  The budget got 24 yes votes and 15 no votes.  It needed 27 votes to pass.

So the Sac Bee is reporting that the Senate will vote on a budget proposal today, which includes a three-year long sales tax increase.

While Senators Abel Maldonado and Roy Ashburn are the main targets of the Democratic leadership to achieve the necessary 2/3 vote to pass tha tax increase, there has been previous talk of Senator Dick Ackerman being targetted by the Dems as a potential vote for the tax increase.  Ackerman emphatically rejected the suggestion in an interview with the Register.

Interestingly, in that same Register interview, Ackerman mentioned that Senator Lou Correa might cross party-lines to actually vote against tax hikes.  And...Matt Rexroad over at the FlashReport blogged about a letter sent out to voters where Lou Correa pledged, "I'll oppose higher taxes..." in his 2006 race to win election to the Senate - a race he won by just 1%.  Correa should remember this promise, lest he give us Republicans more ammunition to use against him in order to defeat him in his 2010 reelection bid.

I encourage Senator Ackerman to stand strong and Senator Correa to remember his promise no matter how much pressure they each get in Sacramento.  Orange County wants them both to vote against the proposed tax hike.

Contact Senator Ackerman to both encourage him and thank him for standing strong against higher taxes:
(916) 651-4033
Senator.Ackerman@senate.ca.gov

Contact Senator Correa to remind him and thank him about his pledge to the voters against higher taxes:
(916) 651-4034
Senator.Correa@senate.ca.gov