Assembly Passes State Budget Wolk Votes "Aye", Awaits Governors' Signature

The overdue budget "keeps intact a number of programs and priorities important to the people of my district during a tough economic time," said Assemblywoman Lois Wolk (D-Davis).

"This budget is not prefect by a long stretch," continued Wolk. "Everyone had to give up something. That’s just a fact of legislative life. I'm disappointed we didn't "blow up the boxes" of state government as promised by the Governor, but I believe we are heading in the right direction, working as a bipartisan team, and that we have set the stage for significant reforms next year."

"We were able to protect and restore a number of key programs - proposed reductions in higher education, proposed reduction in funds to protect against the spread of West Nile Virus, cuts in health and human services, equalization funding for local school districts, and financial protection for local government," said Wolk.

Some highlights of the budget as passed by the Assembly:

• Higher Education Restoration: The budget bill restores over $33 million in funding for the University of California and California State University to enroll those incoming freshmen who had been redirected to community colleges. This proposal affects over 7,000 students systemwide.
• Mosquito Control Districts: The budget bill restores the $12 million earmarked to fight the spread of West Nile virus.
• School Equalization: The budget bill provides $2.1 million to Yolo and Solano County school districts for revenue limit equalization, which will provide the districts discretionary funding and reduce the historical funding inequities between school districts. Specifically, local districts will receive:
  
  -- Benicia Unified $184, 355
  -- Davis Joint Unified $257,794
  -- Dixon Unified $115,779
  -- Fairfield-Suisun Unified $555,843
  -- Travis Unified $174,113
  -- Vacaville Unified $383,760
  -- Washington Unified $84,998
  -- Winters Joint Unified $40,029
  -- Woodland Joint Unified $308,258
  
  
• Health and Human Services: The budget bill will maintain full funding for IHSS workers wages, full funding for county juvenile probation camps, maintain Medi-Cal provider rates, and full funding for SSI/SSP and CalWORKS grants.
• Office of Military Support: Provides $530,000 to the Office of Military Support to coordinate state efforts to keep California military installations, like Travis Air Force Base, from closure.
• Rural County Sheriffs Subvention Program: Provides $500,000 to the Yolo County Sheriff as part of a larger statewide program directed at 17 California counties.
• Local Government: Provides for the protection of local government property tax revenues from State Government "raids". Places on the November ballot a Constitutional Amendment that will allow the State to borrow from local government, it will only be allowed to do so with a two-thirds vote of the Legislature and the Governor's signature. Borrowing can only take place twice during a 10-year period and only after the first loan has been repaid.

"This was a tough budget to put together. And I'm disappointed we missed the deadline. But there is a lot of good in the final analysis," concluded Wolk. "More money for our local school districts, the restoration of law enforcement booking fees, the protection of local government revenue. The people in my district have a lot in this budget to be pleased about. Now it's time to get busy on next year's budget."