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The California Budget Crisis Hit Home Today

By Don Perata
President pro Tem
California State Senate

Today, the California budget crisis hit home.

I joined with my Democratic and Republican colleagues in the state Legislature to pass $1 billion in cost-cutting measures to ensure the state can pay its bills this spring.

We tried to minimize the impact of the cuts, but make no mistake about it, these cuts are tough to stomach.

The actions included reducing spending on our schools by $506 million and lowering the rates paid to doctors who serve Medi-Cal patients, a move that may encourage doctors to quit treating the poor.

And previously planned cost-of-living increases for the poor, the working poor and the disabled receiving assistance through SSI/SSP or CalWORKS were delayed by three months until October.

We all want a better future “a future in which residents have an opportunity to live without fear and with hope. Today’s budget belies that goal. Today’s budget is a statement that California is going in the wrong direction.

But it could be just the beginning, as the state confronts a large deficit for next year.

I won’t accept a second-class state and neither should you. It’s time to stand up and fight for the better schools, health care and public safety we need for a brighter future.

All along I have said there is no way for us to cut our way out of this fiscal problem. If we were to balance next year’s budget on cuts alone, we would devastate our public schools and universities and our safety net programs.

I will not accept that. I will not accept a second-class educational system, or having more youth in our prisons than in our universities. I will not accept leaving alone our seniors or leaving out our children.

California must find new sources of revenue to sustain itself. We can no longer scrape by year to year, cut to cut.

Join me in demanding the stable revenues we need to protect California’s future.

Posted on February 15, 2008

Comments

Why dont they just fix the california 3 strikes law to help the budget theres alot of people in prison for life that are not a threat to society thats a lot of wasted money that could be saved, the families of these prisoners want them home they could be out here working and productive we dont need all these prison guards baby sitting people that arent a threat to society

Posted by: jorge at February 16, 2008 12:41 PM

JORGE..... AMAN... THIS 3 STRIKE LAW IS BROKING CALIF AND NOW THE PEOPLE OF CALIF IS PAYING FOR THIS MESS ..
TOO THE LAWMAKERS FIX THE 3 STRIKE LAW AND STOP WASTING TAXS MONEY OF CALIF ..YOU JUST CAN NOT DO THE RIGHT THING CAN YOU ..OPEN YOUR HEART !!
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS BIG MESS YOU MADE

Posted by: delang at February 17, 2008 01:22 PM

Gee, if the governor hadn't revoked the vehicle licensing tax we wouldn't be in this mess. How about reinstating the tax!!

Posted by: Stephanie at February 25, 2008 10:57 AM

I would rather my taxes be raised a few than our children's education suffer. They are our most valuable resource and are not getting the tools they need to succeed!!!

Posted by: Edwin at March 3, 2008 10:33 PM

please release the 3 strikes people back into San francisco and Jorge town. California my beloved banana republic 3rd world

Posted by: steve at July 24, 2008 12:12 PM

Get off your ass and quit looking for hand outs! You want it earn it, you want to have kids, be prepared to pay for them. Don't expect others to carry your lazy asses! Get a job and pay your fare share!

Posted by: Robert at August 5, 2008 02:00 PM

Because of the budget crisis, look at the CSU schools that are lowering the enrollment number by 10,000 kids. WHAT IS THAT. IM A 15 YEAR OLD TRYING FOR A CSU SCHOOL, AND NOW THAT THIS BUDGET CRISIS IS WORSENING OUR ECONOMY, I MIGHT NOT BE ABLE TO GO THE THE CSU SCHOOL OF MY WISH! LISTEN TO JORGE, DELANG, AND STEVE! HELP US KIDS WHO ARE TRYING FOR THE COLLEGE OF OUR WISH PLEASE!

Posted by: Anna at November 23, 2008 03:21 PM

Posted by: Anna at November 23, 2008 03:22 PM

This budget crisis has a very easy fix, protect our borders from the illegals coming across. If you do that, you won't need as many prisons, schools, the hospitals won't be in financial crisis, the state will save millions on free government programs. Don't talk to me about raising my taxes until you as a government start doing your job to protect the California citizens. After all, that is what we pay you so called government leaders to do. DO YOUR JOB!

Posted by: Mark Handel at December 10, 2008 11:26 AM

Hello, has everyone forgotten we voted for 3 strikes!Yes, it needs to change but most of the crisis is our own doing. We keep voting for all these expensive bills and spend spend spend. Were do we think all the money is coming from? Not us because the second we hear the words raise taxes everyone goes crazy. We honestly expect the gov to do a better job @ a budget, that's funny seems how must of us can't live with in our own means. Let's face it greed got us into the housing crisis pure greed. People either buying way to much house then they could ever afford or using there house as an ATM. YES,close the borders!!!

Posted by: Amanda at February 10, 2009 12:32 PM

to fix the budget in california do the following:

1) legalize and allow eveyone currently here to
obtain citizenship and get a social security
card and start paying their share of taxes.

2) eliminate 10% of all current state employees

3) lower the workmans comp rate and the business
tax rate 50% to encourage more business stays in the state

Posted by: david brow at May 14, 2009 10:11 PM

Poor Amanda.
"1) legalize and allow eveyone currently here to
obtain citizenship and get a social security
card and start paying their share of taxes."

What a stroke of genius! Yes, please do reinforce the state's sanctuary status. Give the teeming hordes poised to swarm across the border some darn encouragement girl! We need more broke hopeless people to take care of around here!

Posted by: TheRestOfUS at May 19, 2009 10:30 AM

After reading these entire blogs, the solutions to the problems of the budget crisis need to be thought over calmly. As a 16 year old high school student, I view that sometimes partisanship between different individuals does not lead to the compromise, but contributes less to the problem at hand.

Posted by: Phil at May 20, 2009 03:23 PM

Yes, close the border or if you don't want to do that at lease get all the freeloaders off public assistance and stop giving away our hard earn tax dollards enough is enough, they'll all go home on their own if there,s nothing for them here.

Posted by: mary at June 8, 2009 08:25 PM

There is something insidious and criminal in nature about a state government that confiscates billions in dollars from hard working LEGAL citizens and uses this same money to fund programs for ILLEGAL aliens who are in California in violation of Federal law, and then has the audacity to say "we need to raise taxes".

Posted by: joe at June 22, 2009 06:05 AM

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