CA State Budget - Inside Info from Our Friend Brian Jones

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For those of you who don't know Brian Jones....he's been on a couple of Desert Dash rides, and used to work at SDBMW....

The Budget - Where We Are, And Unfortunately - Where We Are Going

FlashReport.org

Assemblyman Brian Jones

Thursday, July 14th, 2011

A majority vote budget was passed on June 28, and although the liberals have moaned and groaned about the devastation this budget will wreak, no moves were ever made to structurally fix what got us into this mess in the first place. I fear that without a true spending cap, pension reform and reductions in the regulatory nightmare that California has become, we are going to be facing an ugly budget do-over in a matter of months.

Let me be clear - this is not the fault of the California citizens - the blame lies at the feet of the ruling party in Sacramento. We need less whining and more action, we need less spending and a sincere devotion to job retention and creation. We need less attention to special interest money and more focus on the citizens of this great state.

The good news is that Republicans made good on our promise not to raise taxes and successfully fought each attempt by Governor Brown and his liberal cronies to impose a 29% growth in government spending over five years and $58 billion in higher taxes.

With the expiration on July 1 of the temporary tax increases the annual tax savings for an average family of four will be $1,040. The state sales taxes will be lowered by one cent, which equates to a $233 savings. The car tax (vehicle license fee) will drop nearly in half, from 1.15 percent of the vehicle's value to 0.65 percent, so based on the purchase of a $20,000 new car, a $200 in sales tax savings and $100 in lower car taxes will be realized.

On January 1, each state income tax rate was lowered by 0.25 percent and it is estimated that joint filers making $50,000 per year in taxable income will save $125. The Child and Dependent Care Expenses tax credit was increased by $210. All this to say that the taxpayers of California will have over $1,000 more in their wallet than they had last year.

The bad news is that this budget includes General Fund spending of $86 billion. Governor Brown said he did not want a budget full of gimmicks and one time solutions but that is exactly what he got and signed. It is built on fairy dust assumptions of increased revenues - $4 billion worth! It includes the elimination of redevelopment agencies, and imposes higher vehicle license, water, and what I consider to be illegal rural high fire risk area "fees", which disproportionally hit San Diego County. I fully support the legal challenge that is likely to be initiated as a result of this tax because public safety - whether it is police or fire - is a basic responsibility of state government. Make no mistake that this tax is nothing more than political hardball that follows a promise made by the Governor and his ruling party to punish Republican districts for our refusal to go up on tax votes.

Vehicle registration fees will increase from $31 to $43 per vehicle and the Governor's "realignment" plan transfers jurisdiction of many serious felony offenders from state prison to local jails, which will essentially result in the early release of thousands of convicted felons.

The budget deal also has "trigger" provisions that will initiate additional cuts if Tinkerbell doesn't pay a visit to California's fiscal coffers.

The budget package's total funding level for education is virtually unchanged from the current year. Depending on how far revenues - think fairy dust again - fall below budget projections, cuts could be "triggered" midyear-the largest of which could be up to $1.5 billion. I am particularly disappointed that the liberal majority did not follow the path set by Assembly Republicans in our budget roadmap which would have protected funding for K-12 education and our public colleges and universities.

There is an agenda being pushed by left-wing radicals at the State Capitol, and each day I serve in Sacramento, I am more convinced than ever that it does not mesh with the priorities of the vast majority of Californians. I talk to people from all walks of life and no matter their party affiliation, almost without fail they yearn for a government that is honest and respectful. They want plain talk. They want less spending. And most importantly - they want government to work within its means.

My commitment is to do just that, to stay engaged in the process, to reveal the dysfunction of our government and to protect all California taxpayers.

Jones, R-Santee, represents the 77th District in the California Assembly, covering most of eastern San Diego County.

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Governor Brown said he did not want a budget full of gimmicks and one time solutions but that is exactly what he got and signed.

No surprises there......