[Adobe Acrobat required]
Wm. S. Hart Union High School District What's Good &
School Board Roundup
College of the Canyons
Breaking News Bottom Line
Newhall School District NSD Today
Santa Clarita Valley Senior Center
The Mighty Oak
Samuel Dixon Family Health Centers Inc. Health Matters
Santa Clarita Valley
Historical Society
Heritage Junction Dispatch
Organization: Assemblyman Cameron Smyth
Date: June 17, 2009
Smyth Responds to Conference Committee Budget Proposal
Conference Committee Fails California Again
SACRAMENTO — Assemblyman Cameron Smyth, R-Santa Clarita, released the following statement after the passage of the Conference Committee budget proposal:
The budget proposal passed by the Conference Committee on Tuesday is a feeble attempt at a real solution to California's fiscal crisis. While some progress was made, Democrats stopped far short of taking the actions necessary to get our fiscal house in order. Facing a $24 billion deficit, they chose to make only $9 billion in real cuts. Instead of making the difficult decisions they were tasked with making, Democrats are seeking over $8 billion in new taxes — less than six months after passing the largest tax increase in state history, and less than a month after voters overwhelmingly rejected additional tax increases.
Gas prices have once again eclipsed $3 per gallon, yet Democrats are proposing an $800 million gas tax increase. They have also proposed increasing the car tax to fund state parks, yet the proposed tax raises 400 percent more revenue than needed to fund the operation of California's parks. This shows how out of touch Democrats are with the taxpayers of California who voted overwhelmingly against new taxes on May 19.
Our public safety has also been put in jeopardy by the Conference Committee proposal. The Democrats voted to pass a dangerous early release and direct discharge parole plan that would allow 50,000 inmates to go directly back to our communities. I cannot support such an ill-conceived proposal that puts our children and families at risk.
The Legislature needs to re-evaluate our budget priorities. We must target bureaucracy and inefficiency for savings, while at the same time spending our limited dollars on actual services and not bigger government. My Republican colleagues and I will not support higher taxes, and this continued push to raise taxes only delays the process of solving California's budget crisis."
