NE Sacramento News

Today, Democrats in the California legislature passed a placeholder state budget bill that has been criticized as unrealistic and insufficient. With a voter-imposed constitutional deadline to pass a budget bill by June 15, this shell budget allows legislators to continue receiving pay but achieves little else. Veteran journalist Dan Walters with CalMatters concurs with California Senate Republicans, describing the passage of the budget bill as a "budget charade" that "will only pay lip service to the California Constitution, and may bear only a passing resemblance to the budget that will finally emerge sometime later."

Two years ago, California had a $100 billion surplus. This year, however, the state faces a $62 billion deficit attributed to overspending and inadequate planning for fluctuating revenue streams.

“Sadly, years of mismanagement coupled with this current spending plan will keep California on the path of deficits and unsustainable spending,” said Senator Roger Niello (R-Fair Oaks), vice chair of the Senate Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review. “The Democratic leadership’s placeholder budget fails to offer realistic solutions for the state’s massive deficit.”

The placeholder budget bill aims to address the deficit by raising taxes on businesses and through fund shifts, borrowing, and delays.

“This so-called budget is little more than a shell game meant to hide the bleak truth of our financial situation,” said Senate Minority Leader Brian W. Jones (R-San Diego). “Legislative Democrats continue to spend money we don’t have on things we don’t need or want, leading to a $162 billion swing from surplus to deficit in just two years. Today’s budget allows them to continue perpetrating this fraud and represents a massive miscarriage of government’s duty to the people of this state.”

“We cannot continue to hurt California families by cutting programs they need to fund ones they don't,” said Senator Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh (R-Yucaipa). “This budget fails to reflect our values and needs, and it’s regrettable that everyday Californians will once again bear the burden of the majority party's poor fiscal planning.”