Local Lawmakers React to Governor's State of State

By PAUL J. YOUNG, City News Service:

Gov. Jerry Brown’s State of the State address Thursday lacked a “real world” view of California’s future, a Riverside County lawmaker said, while another criticized the governor’s tax policy, and a third felt his priorities fell short on higher education.

“The Legislature was listening to how rosy the state’s economic outlook was,” Sen. Jeff Stone, R-Palm Desert, said after the address. “Sadly, those of us in the real world see higher gas prices, a sinking stock market and many of us fear about our economic futures.”

Stone pounced on the governor’s exhortation that “sooner rather than later, we have to bite the bullet and enact new fees and taxes” to pay for transportation infrastructure improvements.

“The radical special interests seem to have taken control of our state,” Stone said. “We need to build more roads and fix the ones that are broken ... We can do all that without raising taxes.”

Assemblywoman Melissa Melendez, R-Lake Elsinore, said she was encouraged to hear the governor’s call for “greater savings,” but like Stone, was dismayed by his mention of more taxes.

“In one breath, the governor stated we have a $7 billion surplus, and in the next said we need to raise taxes,” Melendez said. “What we need is a re-evaluation of our priorities and an end to treating the taxpayers like an ATM. We have the money; let’s fix our roads and do right by the people of California.”

Assemblyman Jose Medina, D-Riverside, praised Brown’s call for “fiscal responsibility,” but was let down that the State of the State address offered no indication of the governor’s desire to boost in-state resident enrollment within the University of California system, as well as on Cal State and community college campuses

Medina noted that almost 16 percent of the undergraduate population in the UC system last year was comprised of nonresident students.

“This is troubling, and the University of California must do better to serve our highly qualified California students,” the assemblyman said.

Brown noted that, thanks to Proposition 30, spending on public schools and community colleges had increased 50 percent in the last four years. He regretted that UC tuition had doubled in the last 15 years, but did not offer any proposals on how to reduce higher education costs.

The governor struck a cautious tone on overall spending and the need for restraint.

“Here at the state capitol, we often think we have more control over things than we actually do. But the truth is that global events, markets and policies set the pace and shape the world we live in,” Brown said. “The challenge is to solve today’s problems without making those of tomorrow even worse.”

Brown said it was “imperative” to build up the state’s Rainy Day Fund in the event of a recession that could happen anytime.

“I was pleased to hear the governor again reiterate his commitment to fiscal restraint and building up the budget reserve,” said Sen. Richard Roth, D-Riverside. “I also believe that, in our region in particular, reasonable investments are absolutely critical.”

As in the previous legislative session, Roth is pushing this year for increases in the number statewide judicial positions. His last proposal to fund a dozen new judgeships was vetoed by the governor in October.

“Inland Southern Californians have been severely under-served in this area for many years, and the impact on the delivery of justice has been dire,” Roth said.

Brown complained of ongoing income inequality and the “disappearance of many middle class jobs” in the midst of “globalization” and “technological change.” He highlighted the problem of “outsourcing higher- paying jobs” to other countries but did not touch on how the influx of undocumented immigrants has impacted the job market or imposed a greater strain on state resources, as critics are quick to point out.

The governor acknowledged a “moral obligation” to pay down the $220 billion in unfunded retirement and health liabilities for state workers, but said there was little that could be done except “chip away” at the debt.

Sen. John Moorlach, R-Costa Mesa, has repeatedly called for reducing government bloat to hold down liabilities. In August, the certified public accountant circulated a state audit showing Caltrans has “3,500 more employees than it needs.”

Brown closed his address with an emphasis on water infrastructure and the environment. He expressed confidence in the “Water Action Plan” implemented to deal with the drought and said he remained open to suggestions on how to improve water storage and delivery.

The governor said it was necessary to “radically de-carbonize the economy” for the sake of the environment, as called for in the Paris Climate Agreement in which he had a hand last month.

Stone, Moorlach other Republican lawmakers counter that the state’s stringent environmental regulations already keep pump and electricity prices artificially high as a result of taxes and carbon trading costs.

(Image via Shutterstock)