Budget Analyst Warns Against Cuts to State Safety Net Programs
On Tuesday, Legislative Analyst Mac Taylor urged lawmakers to reject provisions in Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's (R) revised budget plan that would eliminate California's welfare program and child care subsidies, the Sacramento Bee reports.
Taylor warned that such actions could place significant strain on the state's most vulnerable residents (Sanders, Sacramento Bee, 5/19). He added that the cuts also shift costs to counties (Dolan, Los Angeles Times, 5/19).
Schwarzenegger's updated budget also would reduce spending for:
- Medi-Cal, California's Medicaid program;
- Healthy Families, the state's Children's Health Insurance Program; and
- In-Home Supportive Services (California Healthline, 5/17).
Recommendations
In his assessment of Schwarzenegger's budget plan, Taylor recommended modest fee increases and cutting spending on other programs to close California's $19.1 billion budget deficit (Los Angeles Times, 5/19).
Taylor did not recommend hikes to sales, personal income or corporate taxes, but called for targeted increases on:
- Alcohol taxes;
- Community college fees; and
- Vehicle licensing fees.
Taylor also said the state should suspend corporate tax breaks and the Proposition 98 school-funding guarantee.
In addition, Taylor recommended spending cuts for universities, trial courts and public safety local assistance grants (Sacramento Bee, 5/19).
Broadcast Coverage
Headlines and links for broadcast coverage of Taylor's report are provided below.
- "Raise Taxes, Fees - Delay Tax Breaks, California Legislative Analyst Urges" (Small, "KPCC News," KPCC, 5/18).
- "State's Legislative Analyst Rejects Governor's 'Extreme Cuts" (Russ, "KXJZ News," Capital Public Radio, 5/18).