Sacramento – This week, Governor Gavin Newsom revealed the extent of California’s fiscal deficit in his proposed budget. Assemblyman Mathis issued the following statement upon news of the fiscal deficit and proposed budget:
“I am disheartened by the sheer magnitude of reckless spending that has just been revealed. In just a year, we went from having an approximate $100 Billion budget surplus to an unprecedented deficit exceeding $31 Billion. Both the state deficit and the proposed budget continue to show a failure by the Governor & his Office to prioritize critical spending.
One area I find particularly disappointing is the Governor’s refusal to provide further funding or resources for the State’s already-underfunded Wildfire Prevention Plan; this is despite California having over 550,000 total emergency responses due to the 7,490 wildfires in 2022.
I was further disheartened by the Governors’ refusal to adequately fund flood response and protection. The Governor recently visited my district to tour the wide-scale destruction and flooding in Corcoran where he said “You can look at a scene like this and think the worst is going to recede, the worst is behind us, but in fact, quite the contrary”. However, this show of sympathy appears hollow considering the measly $290 Million his budget allocates for flood response and prevention. This highlights both clear hypocrisy and fiscal recklessness, given the approximately $1 Billion in damages caused by the recent floods in my district. While I am glad that the Governor finally visited my district and promised some support, what he has proposed is just a drop in the bucket of how much we really need to defend our communities against the next round of floods.
These are just 2 examples of the Governors’ misguided approach to state policy, which is not only fiscally irresponsible but also jeopardizes the lives of Californians by failing to adequately fund critical infrastructure.”
Assemblymember Devon J. Mathis represents the 33rd Assembly District, which includes the communities of Tulare, Kings, and Fresno Counties. Follow him on Facebook at Facebook.com/AssemblymanDevonMathis and on Twitter at @devonjmathis
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