Certain programs will, over time, transfer away from state control and toward local government providers, according to an assessment by State Senator Carol Liu on lessons of the budget crisis.
In yesterday’s townhall meeting in Glendale, Liu said she hated going to budget meetings where she and fellow legislators are always told that they are in the hole to the tune of billions of dollars. The dire budget situation is forcing state officials to recognize that “we can’t do everything, and right now, we can’t do anything well,” said Liu.
Liu also said that funding models need to work for local human services providers, and she agreed with city council member Laura Friedman who was in the audience and said that cities and local governments are better situated to assess needs and deploy funds for such programs. The California constitution’s only requirement for state provision of human services is in the area of education, Liu added.
Liu held the townhall meeting, which was sparsely attended, to discuss the governor’s revised May budget proposal and ask for constituents’ input on specific budget items. She presented a “Cut Now – Pay Later” slide showing how cuts to large state budget categories (education, CalWorks, corrections, IHSS) will lead to future expenditures or social costs.
Liu fielded questions about partisan gridlock, and admitted that her committee and legislative schedule, and the imposition of term limits, allowed little time to establish relationships in and between the State Assembly and Senate. Liu said her time was completely occupied with meetings, legislative sessions, and a huge stack of reading (presumably reports and proposed bills – although she said there are far fewer Senate bills this year as budget problems have absorbed elected officials’ time).
Senator Liu encouraged constituents to follow the budget process via
next10.org
lao.ca.gov, or
ebudget.ca.gov
and to contact her office to express budget reform preferences.
The Glendale News-Press reported on Liu’s state senate experiences and her Sunday townhall meeting in today’s paper.