Assemblyman Silva dissents from the Democrats’ state budget

The following information was released by Assemblyman Jim Silva (R-CA-AD-67).

Today, legislative Democrats approved more budget-related bills, 12 days after the constitutional budget deadline.

While the Democrats sent the main budget bill to the Governor on the 15th of June, the enabling legislation, called “trailer bills,” were finally voted on today. Due to the passage of Proposition 25 in 2010, budget-related bills require only a simple majority vote, leaving Republicans out of the process.

“The one-party system has proven to be a failure,” Silva said. “Democrats have used this budget as an opportunity to hand out favors to their union benefactors, make permanent the state’s dangerous public safety realignment program, preserve social programs and to propel the Governor’s tax initiative to the top of the November ballot.”

This budget uses education funding as a leverage point to intimidate voters into passing an $8.5 billion tax increase in November. If the voters decline to tax themselves billions of dollars to support the year-over-year budget increase, then automatic trigger cuts kick in. Social and welfare programs will be unaffected, but the schools will take a $5.9 billion cut.

“The majority party has made it clear where its priorities lie,” Silva continued. “Public employee unions and welfare programs trump public education once again.”

About Assemblyman Silva

Assemblyman Jim Silva represents the 67th Assembly District, which includes the communities of Anaheim, Cypress, Garden Grove, Huntington Beach, La Palma, Los Alamitos, Rossmoor, Seal Beach, Stanton, Sunset Beach and Westminster.