Deep Cuts Could Reshape California

LOS ANGELES — Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger did not get the election results he sought. Now he seems determined to show California voters the consequences.

In a special election on May 19, voters rejected a batch of measures on increasing taxes, borrowing funds and reapportioning state money that were designed to close a multibillion-dollar budget gap.

The cuts Mr. Schwarzenegger has proposed to make up the difference, if enacted by the Legislature, would turn California into a place that in some ways would be unrecognizable in modern America: poor children would have no health insurance, prisoners would be released by the thousands and state parks would be closed.

Nearly all of the billions of dollars in cuts the administration has proposed would affect programs for poor Californians, although prisons and schools would take hits, as well.

“Government doesn’t provide services to rich people,” Mike Genest, the state’s finance director, said on a conference call with reporters on Friday. “It doesn’t even really provide services to the middle class.” He added: “You have to cut where the money is.”

In less than two weeks, the administration has gone from warning residents that a vote against the budget measures would send the state — some $24 billion in the red — into utter turmoil to sanguine acceptance that “the people have spoken” and that the government must move on.

We have the same point. California must cut EVERYWHERE. That means layoffs and reducing pay and benefits for all California government workers, as well as cutting idiotic wasteful programs and scaling back aid to everyone who doesn’t deserve it. If some kid will starve or die, pay the bill. It is time to cut off Grandma Chang who came here last year from China and is collecting SSI and Medical.

I told my colleagues 18 months ago that I was 100% certain of a coming 10% pay cut and thought 20% was not uncalled for or out of the question. I’m taking a 10% pay cut now that is soon going to 15%. I can’t disagree with that. It is needed and beats the hell out of being unemployed. It is not hard for me to see the POV of the taxpayers. I am one. Too many of my union bretheren can’t see it.

California is BROKE. We need to cut EVERYWHERE. The failed tax props are a red herring. They would not have generated new revenue anyway. They just would have caused people to shop less and to earn less as they Galt more and more. The State never would have seen increased revenue.

We need to CUT. CALIFORNIA IS BROKE. This is obvious. CUT EVERYTHING.

Hey, I’m a taxpayer and just as outraged as you are that there are massive abuses in California government — any government for that matter. Even while absolutely true, those three salaries you posted are somewhat cherry picking.

Try this...

I work for Caltrans. We employ 21,000 government workers. The Director of Caltans who is responsible for 21,000 people and a $5 Billion dollar annual Capital program earns $125,000. He took a 50% paycut when he hired on.No getting $90 million in stock options here. No paying zero in taxes on your $500 million in stock options here.

How many CEOs do you know of with 21,000 employees and $5 Billion in work product that earn $125,000 per year????

I’m not saying he is underpaid. I’m saying your perceptoin is skewed because for every nurse earning 4x what she should be, there are thousands of government workers earning at, below or far below their private sector counterparts.

The waste with government salaries and benefits is just not on the level that you think it is. Far smaller. I listed factual information in my post to try to illustrate that.

Did you not even read my post???

I was asking about retirement since those on retirement are not currently employed. Are retirement pensions paid out of a separate pot of gold somewhere, or are they paid out of the annual budget, and how many retirees are drawing out of it?

Also, I was questioning the budget shortfall, isn't it around 20 billion? And what are the costs of other entitlements like medical?

And for another new question why must prisoners be released and firefighters fired, instead of cutting other programs?

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