San Benito County’s state representatives expressed an urgent
need to solve the budget crisis in interviews with the Free Lance,
while Assemblywoman Anna Caballero said she
”
has no doubt
”
that local projects to build a new courthouse and expand the
jail are in doubt.
HOLLISTER
San Benito County’s state representatives expressed an urgent need to solve the budget crisis in interviews with the Free Lance, while Assemblywoman Anna Caballero said she “has no doubt” that local projects to build a new courthouse and expand the jail are in doubt.
Caballero and State Sen. Jeff Denham weighed in with the Free Lance about fiscal problems in Sacramento and California’s new legislator makeup.
Caballero said under the current cloud of an $11.2 billion deficit, all future programs are endangered. She also noted how the county is slated to receive state funds in the coming years to expand Highway 156 and build a new Highway 152 route.
“San Benito is slated to receive a lot of money for road repair, which is in danger of drying up,” Caballero said. “I have no doubt that the new courthouse and jail expansion are in jeopardy as well.”
More than $45 million has been earmarked combined for San Benito County’s courthouse construction at the old Fremont School site and the jail expansion on Flynn Road.
Caballero also pointed to a recent idea to have municipalities lend money to the state and said the county would “suffer” if the state exercises that power.
“It’s a raid on local government allowed by proposition 1A,” explained Caballero. “If that occurs it will hit local schools, hospitals, libraries and law enforcement.”
Caballero noted how the deficit is 10 percent of the total budget.
“A neutral analyst has told us that if we don’t take action immediately, we will have a deficit of $28 billion next year – all of this is after we have already cut $15 billion from the budget, she said. “There will have to be further drastic cuts in all programs.”
Denham, meanwhile, said the solution is as simple as “not spending more than we take in.”
“I don’t have all the answers, but I continue to offer a number of solutions to increase revenue without raising taxes, including selling unused or underutilized state assets.”
Denham said that with every great crisis, “there is a huge opportunity.”
“We have an historic opportunity to change the way the state is run and we can’t just raise taxes or cut education as a solution.”
Denham said of particular concern for San Benito County are complications with water management, as drought conditions and a controversy over an endangered fish in the delta system have created a serious shortage here and throughout the region.
“The issue is getting into a situation where agriculture will suffer, farmers will continue to experience cutbacks and a major piece of San Benito’s economy will suffer as a result.”
Denham added he believes above-ground storage using dams is the best approach.
“Temperance Flat would be the closest option to home that would help,” said Denham, referring to the proposed Fresno-area reservoir.
Regarding the immediate fiscal crisis presented by the $11.2 billion dollar deficit, both Denham and Caballero stressed the need for immediate bipartisan action led by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
“We just had the new members sworn in on (Dec. 1) and I have met them all, and am impressed,” said Caballero. “Many of them have local government experience, which is great because that ability to work with school councils, hospital boards and so on shows an ability to get things done.”
Caballero said she is pleased with the addition of three Democrats to the California Assembly, but is unsure how much difference it would make.
“Real Change will take leadership from the Office of the Governor.”
Denham remains optimistic for the Republican Party’s chances to work with counterparts despite the recent elections giving the Democrats a 24-15 edge.
“I think it is a positive chance for these new leaders with fresh ideas to work in a bipartisan fashion to hunker down and solve this state’s problems,” he said.
He is encouraged the president of the Senate, John Garamendi, wants “every member of the Senate” on the budget committee.
“That will help this year and next,” contended Denham, “because we need to look at the deficit not as a caucus – Democrats here, Latinos, there, Republicans over there, but instead as a group coming up with our ideas as a whole.”
A version of this story first appeared on www.freelancenews.com at 10:45 a.m. Tuesday.
