What California leaders are saying about Gov. Gavin Newsom’s $268 billion spending plan
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Friday announcement of the 2021-22 May Revise budget got people talking. Here’s a sampling of what some of California’s movers and shakers said in response to it:
“Thank goodness California is in the position to make transformative investments to end family homelessness, lift those hurt by the pandemic and properly fund our schools. Governor Newsom’s proposed budget does that and more, and complements the state Senate’s priorities. Let the negotiations begin.”
- Sen. Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley.
“California’s extraordinary $75B+ budget surplus is the result of Silicon Valley’s innovation and ingenuity + CA having most progressive tax structure in US. @GavinNewsom’s spending plan for this surplus is b/c of his strong commitment to economic opportunity for all. #cabudget”
- Former Newsom chief of staff Ann O’Leary, via Twitter.
“Gavin Newsom today wraps up his week-long Recall Response Tour, concluding a barrage of poll-tested political messages and shameless credit-taking. It’s the same song every day, throwing taxpayer money at the host of problems he created in the first place. The ‘G’ in Gavin stands for Glitz, and Newsom brought the smoke and mirrors to distract from a record of incompetence that no governor in California history can match.”
- California GOP Chairwoman Jessica Millan Patterson.
“Politicians have lost touch with reality when they celebrate record spending proposals and Gavin Newsom is the poster-child for out-of-touch politicians. The budget today is the largest in state history and spends $40 billion more than the one he proposed just five months ago! We should be slashing taxes and making California more affordable and not ballooning the size of our government.”
- Republican gubernatorial candidate John Cox, via Twitter.
“This time last year, our state was in the throes of COVID-19 and working around the clock to care for our most vulnerable neighbors. Today, we find ourselves in a very different position—emerging on the other side of the pandemic better than where we were before, thanks in large part to more than a decade of common-sense revenues approved by voters and responsible budgeting by legislators that prepared us for the unforeseeable. Now, we have an opportunity to create transformative change—to build a post-pandemic economy that invests in working families and lifts up our communities, especially those struggling the most in the aftermath of the pandemic.”
- Senate President Pro Tempore Toni Atkins, D-San Diego.
“Governor @GavinNewsom’s budget proposals demonstrate two things: 1) Only big investments and proposals can finally fix our problems that have only had band-aide solutions for decades 2) These investments ($75B surplus) only possible because the rich got lot richer during pandemic”
- Assemblyman Alex Lee, D-San Jose, via Twitter.
“All these ‘investments’ will someday soon will be reduced and then will be known as ‘budget cuts’ #cabudget”
- Democratic strategist Steven Maviglio, via Twitter.
“California’s record budget surplus represents a once in a generation opportunity to remedy our most pressing issues. We need to invest in education and create opportunities to improve outcomes as well as make quality higher education a priority so we can continue to be a magnet for the best talent in the world. We look forward to working with the governor and the Legislature to make sure California remains a top tourist destination, trading partner and leader in innovation as well as the best state in the nation to live and work.”
- Allan Zaremberg, president and CEO of the California Chamber of Commerce.
“The Governor’s budget shows what Republicans have said for years: Taxes are too high. This budget will certainly do some temporary good, but it fails to seriously address any of the long-term structural problems facing the state and it does nothing to lower the cost of living for hard-working Californians. I urge the governor to focus on fixing long-standing problems instead of short-term political promises.”
- Assembly Republican Leader Marie Waldron, R-Escondido.
“CA logic: Fail at the basics. And then expand government with additional programs and services that will fail equally as bad.”
- Assemblyman James Gallagher, R-Yuba City, via Twitter.
