It is no surprise that Californians are clamoring for their Legislature to adopt a budget before the state goes bankrupt.  However, if legislators pass the current budget proposal, they run the risk of enacting a budget that doesn't meet Californians' long-term needs and continues to rely on temporary fixes and schemes that worsen California's structural deficit.  Any fiscally conscientious person can describe to you the folly of paying off one credit card with another--yet surprisingly this is exactly what some of my colleagues want our state to do.

Through the years, Governors and Legislatures have shown a penchant for borrowing their way out of budget deficits in California.  They have "borrowed" from special funds, raided funds earmarked for local governments, and stolen funds dedicated for transportation.  As the saying goes, just because we can do it doesn't make it right.  I want to end once and for all the reckless dependency on "borrowing" funds appropriated to local governments in order to solve California's chronic budget problems.

The time has come for the Legislature to bring about substantive budget reform that addresses the structural problems in the state budget.  Should the current budget proposal pass the Legislature today--which relies on massive borrowing--my colleagues and I would be enacting a budget that provides no limits on future spending.  Additionally, the proposal is without a budgetary mechanism that provides for the storage of excess revenue to ensure that vital state operations continue uninterrupted during economically difficult periods.  If these two reforms are left out of this year's budget deal, local governments, along with a litany of important programs, will be forced to continue living in fear that they will lose their fair share.  We need genuine structural reform for the state budget to avoid the annual pillaging that is often the easy-fix in Sacramento.

As a former mayor and two-term Councilman in Yucca Valley, I worked with the City Council and staff to balance a city budget that maintained reserves so that service levels, along with taxes and fees, did not fluctuate wildly in an unpredictable economy.  We accomplished this task by putting together a budget that contained reasonable spending limits and a rainy day fund--and I want the same for California.

For those who are blaming members of the State Legislature for the budget impasse, you are correct.  My Republican colleagues and I aren't willing to support a budget that lacks the components to ensure a successful future for all Californians.  Throughout my career as both a local and state elected official, I have never supported a bad budget deal.  As I have stated on the record time and time again, I am prepared to maintain my current position until we reach a reasonable budget compromise that doesn't get us by for just one more year.  I will not vote in support of a budget deal that is half-baked.