Yesterday evening, State leaders approved a budget that commits larceny on local governments. In total, the state will “borrow” $2 billion; take $1 billion in gas tax revenue, and another $1.7 billion dollars in redevelopment funds. This will be an economic wrecking ball for California cities, namely Sacramento. Sacramento’s recovery cycle is already predicted to be much slower than other California cities, due to the fact that our major advantage – government presence – has turned into a major disadvantage.
Government jobs make up a third of jobs in the Sacramento region, and just a 5 percent reduction in the state and local government workforce would add an additional 1.1 percent to the current regional unemployment rate. Sacramento could see unemployment jump to as high as 15 percent.
Stealing our $8 million in gas tax revenue will be detrimental, forcing us to cut that amount from vital services to balance our budget. An absence of $26 million in redevelopment funds will bring major developments such as the Curtis Park Village, the Railyards and Township 9 to a screeching halt.
The Governor and legislative leaders must hold themselves accountable for the state’s budget woes. Handicapping Sacramento and other California cities is not the solution to the state’s budget mess.
Please contact your senators and representatives prior to Thursday’s floor vote to let them know that our cities cannot afford to serve as crutches for the state.
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