Assemblyman Cameron Smyth, Chair of the Assembly Local Government Committee, released the following statement after Governor Jerry Brown suggested a potential restructuring of public services from the state to the local level:

“In his first week on the job, Governor Brown has already indicated that he’s willing to explore alternative models of delivering public services, which will have a significant impact on the budgets of local governments.

“As a former mayor, he clearly understands that greater local control can often lead to more efficient delivery of services, which ultimately saves the state some money.  However, while we are exploring these possibilities, we need to be vigilant about making sure that local governments are able to provide and fund any services that might be moved under their authority.”

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“We need to get away from the idea that the only options for balancing the budget are raising taxes or making draconian cuts to critical programs.  A reasonable third option is to ensure that California is making the most of the tax dollars we already have, through performance audits and exploring more efficient ways to deliver the services that so many Californians depend on.  Governor Brown’s plan to shift some programs to the local level certainly seems to be a step in that direction.”

“Of course, as with so many proposals in Sacramento, the truth is in the details.  While I appreciate Governor Brown’s commitment to working with local government organizations on his solutions, I’ll be interested to see what’s included in the final product.  Tax increases have both been recently rejected, in the Legislature as well as at the ballot box, and I would not support a plan that includes additional tax increases, or extensions of existing ones.”