June 15 is the deadline for the California Legislature to pass a budget for the coming fiscal year that starts July 1. As in the past several years, no one expects a budget to be approved by the 15th and, indeed, many critical issues are yet to be addressed before a budget can be approved.
The Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce and other business groups have supported Governor Brown's proposal to create a workout plan where taxpayers agree to extend temporary taxes on the condition that the state government fix the underlying conditions that caused California’s economic trouble. For the first time in many years, the gimmicks utilized to "balance" past budgets have been put aside and there seems to be an attempt to address the stark financial realities that confront the state. The LA Chamber also added that it, "disagrees with those who don't see the need for a workout.... who favor an all-cuts budget that will scar California's future as well as those who want tax extensions without the reforms needed to get California out of this mess."
These are tough times and they require tough decisions, not just by some, but by all Californians. For the vulnerable children and families, these financial constraints hit especially hard. Without additional revenues proposed, the minimal support required by the education and the social services systems will additionally be jeopardized, threatening to do irreparable harm and further impair the State as a whole.
More than ever, all of us regardless of political affiliation need to contact our elected officials and voice our support for the proposed financial workout plan with the hope that, in spite of the hardships we will bear, it will help us to find a path to a sustainable future for all Californians.
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