Governor Jerry Brown's recent announcements to cut the state's purchasing of freebies and usage of cell phones, while a good start, is only a crumb off of the piece of California's budgetary pie.
In February of 2009, the Legislature voted to increase your vehicle license fee, income tax and sales tax. Yet today, our budget deficit is even bigger and continues to worsen by the day.
It's time for the serious, long-term reform our state desperately needs to provide relief to hardworking taxpayers, encourage job creation and allow California's economy to recover.
For years, I have been calling for structural reform to California's budget process.
My first bill I introduced in the Legislature, Assembly Constitutional Amendment 3, would have aligned state spending with population growth and set aside money for non-growth years. It was quickly killed by the majority in 2007.
In 2009, I introduced Assembly Bill 1150, which called for the elimination of the State's Integrated Waste Management Board, setting a precedent for consolidating duplicative boards and commissions and cutting government waste. It was defeated in the Assembly Natural Resources Committee on a party line vote. Fortunately, I was able to work with former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger on a similar bill that did ultimately eliminate the waste board, but we must be able to work together as Legislators to go further.
In these tough times, these types of reforms are exactly what we as a legislative body should be doing - cutting our own spending, reducing the costs to do business and putting money away for years when our revenue falls short.
Each day we don't act, we continue to push years of irresponsible spending on the backs of hard-working Californians who are already suffering.
For my part, I will continue introducing legislation that encourages job growth and structurally reforms our budget. I encourage my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to help me do the same.
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