This just in from conservative Los Angeles County Supervisor Mike Antonovich…
Governor’s Budget Rearranges Deck Chairs On The Titanic
Michael D. Antonovich, Los Angeles County Supervisor
Without structural reform to fix California’s broken budget system, this budget is a mix of tax schemes and band aids that only delays the inevitable.
Our state currently has some of the highest gasoline, sales and business taxes in the nation. Proposition 13 is not to blame — property tax revenues went from $6.4 billion in 1981 to $43 billion in 2007 – a 600% increase — far higher than the combined rate of population growth and inflation over the same period.
To address the state’s $20 billion deficit and prevent bankruptcy, the following structural reforms are needed to get California back on track:
• ELIMINATE STATE AGENCIES WITH DUPLICATIVE RESPONSIBILITIES
Along with consolidating the Franchise Tax Board and the Board of Equalization, there are other State agencies that need to be eliminated or consolidated. In Los Angeles County, the Economy and Efficiency Commission I initiated consolidated departments’ and agencies with duplicative missions and the Quality and Productivity Commission has saved County taxpayers over $3 billion by streamlining programs and services.
• STOP SPENDING ABOVE INFLATION AND POPULATION GROWTH
• A 2-YEAR BUDGET
To prevent the annual budget negotiations crisis, this would enable school boards, county governments and city governments to have a consistent funding stream to prepare its own financial agenda for public safety, schools, libraries and parks.
• A PART-TIME LEGISLATURE
Our full-time legislature has failed to work full time to stop the fiscal hemorrhaging.
To bring a sense of reality to the legislative process, 46 other states allow citizen lawmakers to contribute valuable professional experience to the legislative process and reduce the high costs of excessive legislation.
• REPEAL TERM LIMITS
Term limits have promoted instability and an inexperienced legislature — restricted the will of the voter and producing a “musical chairs” system of inexperienced legislators controlled by consultants and lobbyists.
• REFORM CIVIL SERVICE
We need to bring our Civil service system into the 21st Century.
In addition to the immediate implementation of these vital reforms, we need to reject the call of those who want to tax and borrow California into bankruptcy. Instead, borrow a page from Nevada’s successful playbook and make overtures to business to stay and relocate back to California with business-friendly incentives including reduced taxes and regulation and an innovative marketing campaign. This will stimulate enterprise and competition, new jobs will flood the marketplace and a broad base of revenue will expand to fill state coffers and lead to economic recovery and growth.