It’s almost May, and that means it’s almost time for the annual budget debate to begin in earnest.

As you know, the governor releases his initial spending plan in January. It’s essentially intended as an early indication of his priorities, but everyone knows that the specifics are likely to change in the spring. That’s because by May, the state has a much clearer picture of how much tax revenue it’s really going to have for the year. So, in May the governor releases a rewritten budget plan, known as the May Revise.

Once the Legislature receives the May Revise, the real job of hashing out our difference gets underway.

I’m hopeful that the return of a healthy economy will make this among the least contentious budget years since I’ve been in the Assembly. When I first arrived, we were facing a devastating deficit of some $37 billion dollars. Things have improved every year since then, but each year we have had to fight to maintain the services and programs that I believe are a crucial part of modern society.

Whatever the governor offers next month, I will continue to argue for full funding for education, realistic budgets for health care, child care, social services and assistance for the disabled, blind and elderly. We can never accept a plan that would unfairly burden our most vulnerable, or saddle our working families with painful costs just to put their children through school.

And as all of this moves its way through the budget process, I will be pushing my legislative package that includes, among other things, a series of bills designed to make California a more efficient and more effective provider of services to the elderly. I’ll keep you posted on those bills as they move forward.

Thank you,

Patty Berg
Assemblywoman, 1st District

Progress on Crabs

I’m very pleased to tell you that the governor has signed AB 601, my bill to protect California’s Dungeness crabs and the people who make their living from them. Passage of the bill was a good example of bipartisanship and cooperation.

Once Assembly members and senators understood that unless we passed this bill, the precious crab population on our coastline could be opened up to near-limitless fishing by boat crews from Alaska, Washington and Oregon, we were able to pass the bill out of both houses in the Legislature in a single day, and the governor almost as quickly signed it into law.

My colleagues understood that our crab populations could never withstand such an influx, and that would mean disastrous financial losses for all men and women whose livelihoods depend so dearly upon the fragile Dungeness fishery.

This law also ensures that the highly successful Salmon Stamp program continues into the future, paying for additional salmon rearing at state hatcheries and the restoration of critical salmon habitat. Far from a solution to the ongoing salmon crisis, it is nonetheless a small step in the right direction.

Safe Rides to School

I think every child deserves a safe ride to school. That’s why my bill, AB 1944, makes sure that small school districts have the funding they need to get unsafe, tired old buses off the road. As you know, rural areas rely heavily on bus transportation, but you might be surprised to learn that over 6000 buses still in use today were manufactured before 1987. Even more alarming, just one of these outdated models emits as much toxic soot as 125 cars in a single year! That’s substantial when vehicle related pollution continues to be a leading cause of childhood asthma.

The truth is we can’t afford to take our children’s health and safety for granted. That’s why this bill is so important.

Woman of the Year

This past March, as Vice Chair of the Legislative Women’s Caucus, it was my pleasure to organize the Legislature’s 20th annual Woman of the Year Ceremony. This unique event allows each member of the Legislature to honor one special woman from their district who has significantly contributed to her community.

This year, I am absolutely thrilled to have Casey Crabill as my honoree. As the first woman president of the College of the Redwoods, she has made a positive difference throughout the north Coast that simply must be acknowledged, commended, and celebrated.

Here’s a picture of Casey and I with Lt. Gov Cruz Bustamante.