ICYMI: Ahead of Governor Newsom’s budget and state speeches, Leader Brian W. Jones shines a light on the real state of affairs

As the governor prepares to deliver his State of the State address and roll out his next budget plan, Senate Minority Leader Brian W. Jones (R-San Diego) published an opinion piece in the Orange County Register and Southern California News Group papers that tells the real story.

“When I arrived in the legislature as a newly minted state legislator, I was shocked by what I found in the annual state budget. A bloated and reckless spending plan stuffed with pork, misguided priorities and overspending on feel-good social programs at a time when a strong cinching of the belt was in order to preserve essential services.

“That was 2010 and Democrats spent what I called an “absurd” $129 billion that year. Fast forward and California’s budget has exploded to an unprecedented $321 billion despite repeated warnings from experts that the money is running – and has now run – dry. And what have we gotten for this prodigious spending? Are we better off today than we were then?

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“What you won’t hear [from the governor this week] is a clear, sensible path forward. A budget is a statement of priorities – and Gov. Newsom’s priorities have consistently failed to represent the priorities of Californians. Don’t expect that to change this week as he paints a pretty picture on top of the decay he’s caused.”

Read the entire opinion piece, here.