Leaders in the California Legislature would do well to remember
Ronald Reagan’s opinion of government while trying to pass the
state budget.
”
Government is not the solution, it’s the problem,
”
the former California governor and U.S. President said.
Leaders in the California Legislature would do well to remember Ronald Reagan’s opinion of government while trying to pass the state budget.
“Government is not the solution, it’s the problem,” the former California governor and U.S. President said.
Now two weeks overdue, legislators have reached an impasse with the budget over a deal Gov. Schwarzenegger made with local government officials. And, expectedly, the problem again is the government – this time the state – refusing to relinquish the power to take money from cities, counties and special districts.
Schwarzenegger, in January, proposed to bail out the estimated $17 billion budget deficit in part by grabbing $1.3 billion from local government entities such as San Benito County and the cities of Hollister and San Juan Bautista. Cities and counties banded together to create Proposition 65, a measure designed to stop the governor’s budget raid and prevent the state from robbing local coffers. By May, the governor and local government officials agreed to send $2.6 billion to the state over two years to give more flexibility to balance the budget this year. In exchange, the governor agreed to support a constitutional amendment that would keep state hands off local money forever.
The plan did not sit well with Democratic legislators who worried about the repercussions of permanently tying the state’s hand. What would happen during emergencies if the state couldn’t fall back on preying on local government budgets, they asked.
What would happen if they had to stop robbing Peter to pay Paul?
Perhaps, the state would have to confront their own budget problems head-on and create a spending plan that coincided with its revenue stream. It would mean cuts – deep ones – to programs and personnel much like what most counties and cities have sliced from their operations at the expense of their residents.
Local government dollars provide more direct services to residents than the state ever could. By leaving dollars at home, the people have a greater chance to benefit from their own tax dollars through electing local officials who spend the money where it is needed the most. Over the last decade, Hollister and San Benito County have lost approximately $25 million to the state, and all cities and counties have contributed approximately $44 billion over the years, according to Hollister Mayor Tony Bruscia.
And with the $17 billion wolf nipping at legislators’ heels, it’s obvious all the state has done with the money funneled to Sacramento is spend it. Remember, the deficit doesn’t exist because California does not have enough revenue, it’s ballooned because legislators spend more money than they have.
So now, Democrats, who control both houses of the legislature, have made their own proposal. It would stop the state from taking local dollars unless a fiscal emergency was declared, probably much like the one facing California today, and approved by a two-thirds majority of the Legislature. Likewise, any money taken would be considered a loan the state would have to be pay back with interest; and such loans could only take place twice every 10 years.
It sounds like a deal most local governments could live with, according to local leaders throughout the state, but it is one we should not have to. Legislatures should accept Schwarzenegger’s plan and pass the budget. Then go back to the table, lock the door, order Chinese food and get the state’s affairs in order for the day comes they can’t limp along on the local government crutch. We’ll see ’em when they’ve truly balanced the state’s budget problems – no matter how long it takes.
To respond to this editorial or comment on this issue, please send or bring letters to Editor, Hollister Free Lance, 350 Sixth St., Hollister, Calif. 95023 or fax to 637-4104 or e-mail to
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