Progress Made on the California State Budget: Your Money and Values

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

In this week’s Democratic weekly radio address, Assembly Budget Committee Chair John Laird (D-Santa Cruz) gives a progress report on state budget negotiations.

To listen in English, click here

To listen in Spanish, click here

Hello, this is Assembly Budget Chair John Laird.

Over the past few weeks, my Democratic and Republican colleagues and I on the Legislature’s budget conference committee have made significant progress in crafting a balanced state budget.

We’ve already reached agreements to enhance funding for children in the state’s foster care system, and to strengthen adult protective services and academic preparation.

And we will make significant strides in the areas of clean water, climate change, and flood protection.

We will also look at appropriate funding for the infrastructure bonds Californians passed last November taking them as a whole package to protect the integrity of the process and the will of the voters.

While the governor’s budget proposal contained troubling cuts to transportation monies, the Senate and the Assembly are nearing an agreement on how to minimize any budget hits taken by the important transportation sector.

The budget conference committee will continue to meet throughout the ongoing negotiations between the governor and legislative leaders, to help provide a transparent process for a budget agreement.

Given the effort so far I am hopeful we can deliver a balanced budget with bipartisan support well in time for the start of the next budget year.