Politics & Government

California State Budget Approved, Huff Blasts Plan

The plan includes cuts to state universities, courts, social service programs and parks.

State lawmakers approved a budget plan Tuesday night that includes cuts in funding for state universities and social service programs.

The plan also calls for the cuts to the courts and the closure of 70 parks, a first ever, reported the Los Angeles Times. UC and CSU campuses will see a 23 percent reduction.

The approval comes a day after Gov. Jerry Brown and state Democratic lawmakers announced they had come to a . The plan does not call for any additional cuts to K-12 education for now, but that is dependent on whether $4 billion in projected state revenues materialize.

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If those expected revenues don’t come through as predicted, K-12 schools could see a reduction in funding comparable to cutting the academic year by seven days, the Los Angeles Times reported.

"These cuts will forever haunt our conscience," said Assemblyman Bob Blumenfield (D-Woodland Hills), who chairs the budget committee in the lower house. "However, those of us who do vote for this budget can take comfort with the knowledge that we did what was necessary to move ourselves toward stability."

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State Republican leaders blasted the plan Monday when it was unveiled.  Sen. Bob Huff (R-Diamond Bar), who represents Sierra Madre, said it does nothing to solve the long-term budget issues.

“The new proposal from the Governor and legislative Democrats assumes that $4 billion will automatically appear on top of the $6.6 billion increase that has already been projected,” Huff said.  “That’s nearly $11 billion in new revenue that the Democrats assume will magically appear. That’s a wand that Harry Potter would be proud to wield.”

Huff said Monday that Senate Republicans were still open to compromise.  Gov. Jerry Brown and Democratic lawmakers had called for a combination of spending cuts and tax extensions to bridge the state’s $9.6 billion deficit.  However, Republican leaders, including Huff, blocked efforts to get those tax extensions on the ballot for voters to consider.

Huff has said that he would not support any taxes and called for pension, spending-cap and regulatory reforms to be considered as solutions for the state’s budget woes.


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