California Democrats Propose Solution for $78 Billion Budget Deficit
Legislative Analyst’s Office Discloses Significant Deficit Increase
California Democratic lawmakers have unveiled a proposal to tackle the state’s daunting $78 billion budget deficit, which involves utilizing Gov. Gavin Newsom’s plan to tap into reserves. Initially, the deficit was projected at $38 billion, but a recent report from the Legislative Analyst’s Office revealed a much larger shortfall of $73 billion. Despite the governor’s reluctance to rely solely on the larger estimate, Democratic state Sens. Mike McGuire and Scott Wiener have put forth an “early action” plan aimed at making $17 billion in program cuts to help mitigate the deficit.
Proposal Aims to Narrow Budget Shortfall Amidst Fiscal Concerns
The proposal seeks to reduce the budget shortfall to a more manageable range of $9 billion to $24 billion. However, it opposes Newsom’s suggestion to dip into rainy day funds to cover the remaining gap. While Newsom has expressed appreciation for the Senate’s plan to address the deficit, his office has not provided comment on the use of reserves. Republican state Sen. Brian Dahle criticized the approach, suggesting that Democrats should have addressed the deficit earlier and avoided additional spending in the budget, emphasizing the need for prudent financial management to tackle California’s fiscal challenges.
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