California Governor's budget has surprise: a surplus!

Yahoo News via Reuters ^ | 01/13/2013 | Jim Christie

[SeekAndFind]

SACRAMENTO, California (Reuters) - California's budget deficit is gone after years of financial troubles, Governor Jerry Brown said on Thursday, proposing a state budget plan that would raise spending on education and healthcare, boosting total expenditures by 5 percent with a surplus remaining.

But Brown vowed to push back at legislators eager to increase spending even more by restoring the billions of dollars to social services and other state programs cut in lean years.

"I am determined to avoid the fiscal mess that the last few governors had to deal with," Brown told reporters as he introduced his budget plan for the 2013-14 fiscal year beginning in July. Leading Democratic legislators agree with his plan.

California's economy melted down with the housing market, slashing the state's revenue, but it is finally on the mend. For years the state's leaders have tackled budget deficits with a combination of deep cuts and accounting gimmicks. The projected surplus is now the latest surprise.

Businesses are hiring again and voters in November approved temporary hikes to the state sales tax and income tax rates on wealthy taxpayers.

California's job growth tops the national average, unemployment has fallen to below double-digit levels for the first time in nearly four years and more money is expected to flow into state coffers from the voter-approved tax increases.

The state Department of Finance projected unemployment will fall to 9.6 percent this year and 8.7 percent in 2014.

Brown's budget plan projects $98.5 billion in revenues and transfers and plans spending of $97.7 billion, according to the proposal published on the state Department of Finance website.

That would leave a surplus of $851 million, in addition to a projected $785 million surplus for the current fiscal year,

[Teacher317]

For years the state's leaders have tackled budget deficits with... accounting gimmicks.

Yeah, rearranging numbers on paper ALWAYS fixes things!

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks SeekAndFind.

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