Local Assemblyman: Budget Options ‘Limited and Difficult’

Governor Jerry Brown proposed major cuts in a budget revision Monday, spurring reaction from about options for the state’s grim financial situation.

The plan calls for $8.3 billion in spending cuts to close a revised deficit of $15.7 billion—equivalent to 17 percent of the state’s entire general fund—the Associated Press reported Monday.

“The plan would reduce child care for mothers trying to get off welfare, in-home supportive services for the needy and health care for the poor, as well as cut funding to courts and postpone payments to ,” said the AP.

See the full AP article here.

Eng responded with the following in a prepared statement:

“Today, the Governor’s May Revision underscores the fact that
despite the serious cuts we have already made—which closed the
structural deficit by three-fifths— we still have to contend with a
budget deficit of nearly $16 billion.

The size of the deficit and the dwindling of options mean we have
limited and difficult choices left to solve the deficit, and stress the
state’s serious need for revenue to prevent greater cuts.

I look forward to working alongside my colleagues in the Assembly,
the Senate, and the Governor to close the remaining budget problems and pass a balanced, on-time budget by June 15.”

What is your response to the Governor's budget revisions? Do you think Eng's response is appropriate? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.