In the newest TV ad opposing Governor Schwarzenegger's budget initiative, Proposition 76, there is a testimonial from Craig Brown, who's simply identified as "California Finance Director, 1996-1998."

But it might have actually been a stronger slamming of the GOP governor's initiative had the on-screen identification highlighted that Brown was finance director under former Republican Governor Pete Wilson.

"Prop 76 doesn't fix the budget or stop new taxes," says Brown in the ad. "It destroys our system of checks and balances. This isn't reform."

Brown appears to be focusing on provisions in Prop 76 that would allow the governor to make unilateral cuts to bring the budget back in balance if the Legislature fails to make such decisions in time. There have been questions as to whether that kind of new budget balancing power is constitutional.

Team Arnold was quick to try and push back on Brown's decision to campaign against the current GOP governor's initiative, with a written statement from Wilson e-mailed to reporters.

"Craig must be suffering amnesia," says the statement from the former governor. "He must have forgotten that the legislature is habitually late in acting on the budget because present law does not allow the governor-- as will Prop 76-- to force legislators to do their job and do it on time."

[Last week, we took a look at another big issue in Prop 76-- how the new spending cap will work, and how it might've worked had it been in place this year.]