By Nicole Vera |Staff Writer| Higher taxes and $4.2 billion in social spending cuts are the focal points of Gov. Jerry Brown’s 2012-2013 budget plan, released Jan. 12. Social welfare programs that would lose millions in funding include Medi-Cal, child care services and CalWORKS. California voters are also being asked to approve a referendum that would result in a temporary raise in taxes for the next five years on the November ballot. Should the referendum pass, sales tax would raise 5 percent. Income tax would be raised by 1 percent to families making $250,000— and more for millionaires. In his annual State of the State speech on Jan. 18, Brown defended his measures saying, … [Read more...] about Browns budget plan balanced with spending cuts and tax raises on rich