California’s latest budget package full of tricks, traps and missed opportunities

Today, legislative Democrats passed a budget package that is not balanced, not sustainable, and not representative of the needs of everyday Californians.

The budget, crafted last week during closed-door meetings with the governor and a select few Democrat legislators, continues their fiscal mismanagement of taxpayer dollars.

"This budget package is nominally balanced but not sustainable. It fails to reign in the past decade of irresponsible growth in government spending," said Senator Roger Niello (R-Fair Oaks) who serves as vice-chair of the Senate Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review. "It relies on budget gimmicks, draws down our savings, and saddles future generations with debt."

The budget package includes deficits for budget years to come, new taxes on businesses, and spending increases on boondoggles like high-speed rail. To pay for Democrat funding priorities, their budget takes funds away from services for the developmentally disabled, withdraws money from education reserves, and spends billions from the state's rainy-day fund.

"Rather than being responsible with California's checkbook, Democrats chose to play shadow games with accounting," said Senate Minority Leader Brian Jones. (R-San Diego). "They shifted, swept and shuffled money around, stealing it from disabled kids and taking money from a host of necessary services to fund unneeded social experiments and pet projects. It's unfathomable. But it's real."

Governor Gavin Newsom has until July 1 to adopt, amend or reject the budget bills passed today, and he is expected to sign them in their current form.