Imagine sitting down to plan the family budget for the year. You set aside money for rent, food, transportation, health care and fun activities.
Fast forward 10 years and your income has doubled. For most families, this would be life changing. New cars, a new house, living debt-free.
Sadly, while the state has doubled its income over the past 10 years, reckless spending has left Californians worse off than before. The budget approved at the end of June is starting to dole out over $321 billion of taxpayer money to programs, institutions and pork projects.
In that same time frame, the cost of living has skyrocketed, the education system has worsened, roads have worsened, and our public safety system has failed to protect whole communities.
This reality was not lost on me as I evaluated the state budget and cast my vote in the state Senate on behalf of our district.
I worked to bring relief – real relief – to our super commuters as I supported an amendment to delay a gas tax hike that could soar as high as 65 cents per gallon. Sadly, the measure was rejected by Senate Democrats.
I advocated for funding Proposition 36 fully, so that law enforcement would have all the tools needed to hold fentanyl traffickers and serial thieves accountable while also providing treatment and rehabilitation to those struggling with addiction. The measure needs $400 million in ongoing funding, but Democrats’ final deal only included a one-time allotment of $100 million.
I stood with the developmentally disabled community to prioritize funding to support programs that give home care providers access to tools and greater resources. Democrats in the Legislature chose not to prioritize this either.
I was baffled – and I imagine you might be, too – to see the state wasting dollars elsewhere, such as on PR programs like the strange “Belonging Campaign.” What good is belonging if those with developmental disabilities don’t have access to home care? What good is belonging if substance abusers can’t get the help they need to stay sober and off the streets? What good is belonging if commuters are being priced out of driving to their job?
While the bad listed above certainly outweighs the good, there were some glimmers of hope. Namely, affordable housing projects will be easier to build; those impacted by Chiquita Canyon Landfill will receive some long-overdue economic relief through tax incentives, and military veterans will receive tax relief.
Through a bill I co-authored, the state’s innovative film and TV industry will get a needed lifeline with increased tax incentives. These tax incentives will help to keep good-paying jobs in California and the Santa Clarita region. In 2023, film production in our region provided jobs and generated $37.2 million in local economic impact. I’m thrilled we were able to help keep this economic engine running strong in our community.
But, while I support funding the good, it’s hard to look past the bad. It’s even harder given the broken budget process we saw play out.
This massive budget package – one of the trailer bills alone was over 300 pages – didn’t fully emerge from Democrat leadership’s backroom until a mere 20 hours before its first public hearings. Twenty hours to review billions in taxpayer spending. Even the best accountants or fiscal minds wouldn’t be able to fairly review it.
Many Senate Democrats joined with Senate Republicans in expressing our frustration with the budget, lamenting their own leadership’s calculatedly rushed and nontransparent process.
I spent hours reviewing and analyzing impacts. I know no budget will ever provide everything everyone needs, but this process has disappointed me greatly. You deserve better as does every person in this state.
Regardless, I will continue fighting for what’s best for our state and for all the people in it.
My vision includes more affordability, safer streets for our communities, expanding educational opportunities for our children and opportunities that allows each of us to pursue our dreams.
State and family budgets are, at their core, about priorities. And when we’re all back at our kitchen tables prioritizing our spending for the upcoming year, we’ll have to factor in greater costs for many basics thanks to misplaced priorities and reckless, ill-advised spending on the state level.
At least we’re clear who’s to blame: The leadership of the Democratic supermajority in the Legislature.
Suzette Martinez Valladares represents most of the Santa Clarita Valley in the state Senate.“Right, Here Right Now” appears Saturdays and rotates among local Republicans.
