SACRAMENTO—Assemblywoman Anna Caballero (D-28) issued the following statement in response to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s budget proposal:

“There are many areas of the Governor’s budget that appear promising, such as: a renewed focus on health care insurance for all Californians, increased funding for our transportation infrastructure, additional resources for technical education, and more funding for food safety research.  I will be researching the budget closely over the next several weeks to ensure that the interests of the 28th Assembly District are protected.”

“I am also pleased to see that there are no reductions in discretionary assistance to local governments.  I share the Governor's concern, however, that non-urban areas have not experienced the same degree of revenue gain as more urbanized areas.  I intend to make sure that rural California is equally represented in the budget negotiations.”

“I support the Governor’s commitment to increase funding for technical education—by a significant increase of $1 billion.  Quality technical education for California’s public schools is essential to ensure that our students can compete for high tech jobs.”

“The Governor's proposal to provide $2.1 million to enhance California’s response capabilities to foodborne illnesses such as E coli is a good beginning, but no more than that.  We need full funding for food safety research being carried on by the University of California and other institutions.  We must determine quickly and effectively what the best strategy is for dealing with this threat to California's largest single industry.”

“Over the next few months, I will be reviewing the budget in detail. I look forward to working with the Governor and other members of the legislature as we seek to achieve real results for all Californians.”