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Governor Newsom presents the "California Blueprint"
Photo courtesy of the office of Governor Gavin Newsom

Valladares, Wilk Weigh In On Newsom Budget Proposal For California

Assemblywoman Suzette Valladares and State Senator Scott Wilk have weighed in on the effectiveness of the “California Blueprint,” the budget proposal released by Governor Gavin Newsom earlier this week.

On Monday, Valladares and Wilk, both Republicans who represent areas including the Santa Clarita Valley, provided input on the “California Blueprint,” a proposal by Newsom which lays out a plan for the distribution of California’s budget for 2022-23.

“The governor likes to thank his fellow Democrats for ideas that originated within the Republican Caucus – but Californians see through that political gamesmanship,” Wilk said. “This budget includes many commonsense Republican requests such as a gas tax holiday, wildfire prevention and forest management, reversing tax increases on businesses, and helping keep business doors open, but so much more needs to be done.”

Newsom’s proposal includes a pause on the annual increase to California’s excise tax on gas which normally takes place in July.

Since 2010, the excise tax has risen from $0.18 per gallon of fuel to $0.511 per gallon, according to the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration.

“I was thrilled to see the Governor agree to a proposal I co-authored to pause the annual increase of the gas tax,” Valladares said. “Families in Los Angeles County pay some of the highest prices for gas, and now is a good time for relief.”

Wilk asserted that lowering gas prices began as a Republican proposal.

The Senate Republican Caucus, led by Wilk, sent a letter containing recommendations for the state budget to Governor Newsom and other officials on Jan. 5.

In the letter, officials were urged to lower gas costs.

“Lower-income workers, who typically cannot work from home and may have to commute long distances to their jobs, are hit hardest by the high gas prices that are in part created by California’s high gas taxes,” read the letter.

Newsom’s “California Blueprint” also allocates $119 billion of the budget to funding for K-12 schools, the most funding ever allotted to primary education in California’s history, according to CalMatters.

“…Our schools will require resources to keep students and teachers safe and to stem the learning loss from school closures,” Valladares said in support of the increased funds.

The proposed budget would also provide “hundreds of millions in grants and tax breaks to small businesses suffering from the pandemic,” according to officials with Newsom’s office.

However, both Valladares and the Senate Republican Caucus’s letter expressed concern that small businesses would have to take on extra fees so California would be able to pay back $21 billion in debt caused by unemployment costs.

“We must pay-down the Economic Development Department’s (EDD) unfunded debt,” Valladares said. “If not addressed, this will amount to an incredible cost increase for small businesses, which are still reeling from prolonged shutdowns, worker shortages, and supply issues — and that ultimately hurts our fixed-income seniors and working families.”

The “California Blueprint” would allot $2 billion of the budget to go toward housing, clearing encampments and mental health.

“Our state’s homeless population needs and deserves compassion and assistance, and the Governor has said this is a priority for him,” Valladares said. “As a member of the Budget Committee, I look forward to working with his administration and my colleagues in the Legislature to do everything we can to shelter this vulnerable population and make mental health and substance abuse treatment accessible to them.”

Although the budget is a step in the right direction, according to both representatives, there is still progress to be made.

“Since Newsom is so focused on ‘reimagining the future,’ he should take a better look at building water storage, improving the quality of life for everyday Californians, and analyzing why his spending on homelessness has failed,” Wilk said. “I look forward to working with my colleagues in the legislature to ensure good ideas remain in this budget and the challenges are addressed.”


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Valladares, Wilk Weigh In On Newsom Budget Proposal For California

3 comments

  1. Didn’t see a mention on the insane extra costs for allowing 100,000s of Illegal Aliens to pour over the border and on top of that to Give them free taxpayer paid health insurance! As word gets out, millions more will also be Illegally intruding on the once souvenir soil of the USA! Stop this unbelievable insanity!

  2. Max, Sorry you don’t understand, again—-your fumes must be confusing you, because you have/do make sensible patriotic comments sometimes!

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About Zena Taher

Zena Taher moved to Santa Clarita when she was 12 years old. She has always been a voracious reader, which led her to take an interest in writing professionally. She graduated College of the Canyons in 2021 with a double major in journalism and communications and is currently attending California State University Northridge.