1st Senate District Senator Ted Gaines spoke out Monday afternoon criticizing what he characterized as ‘endless spending increases’ within the 2015 California State Budget passed by lawmakers in Sacramento yesterday.
Gaines, who is a Republican from Dorado Hills, issued a brief statement regarding the Democrat majority-vote budget bill.
“While the budget plan does include attempts to reduce our wall of debt and save for a rainy day, California still has $200 billion in outstanding liabilities, and we need to route every single spare dollar towards paying it down. Instead we are increasing spending by billions to pay for things like the absurd High Speed Rail project, exorbitant salaries for UC administrators and welfare cash cards for drug felons.”
Gaines commented on the $117 billion dollar budget calling it part of a ‘spending spree’ and an expansion of government that will grow in future years, placing significant pressure to continue the Proposition 30 tax increases.
“I can’t help but question,” said Gaines, “whether this plan is intended to create deficits that will become the excuse for future Proposition 30 tax increases.”
“The proposed spending flies in the face of the red-flag warning from the state Department of Finance that projects California will have an operating deficit of more than $2.5 billion by 2018-19. This risky and unsustainable budget spends money we simply do not have.”
Gaines concluded the statement saying that, “No matter the problem, no matter the year, no matter the economy, the Legislative Democrat solution is always more spending. For the sake of the overtaxed Californians who are on the hook to pay for it, I want to ask: When is it a good time to pay down our debt, fund pensions, build the rainy day reserve and return any excess to the taxpayers? That is the key to more jobs and prosperity for all California families.”
Senator Ted Gaines represents the 1st Senate District, which includes all or parts of Alpine, El Dorado, Lassen, Modoc, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Sacramento, Shasta, Sierra and Siskiyou counties.
