RIDLEY-THOMAS STATEMENT ON VOTERS REJECTION OF BALLOT MEASURES TO EASE STATE BUDGET

 

  NEWS

                                         Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas

                                                                               L.A. County Board of Supervisors, 2^nd District

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

May 20, 2009                                                                                                                                      Contact:   Aurelio Rojas                                         213-974-2222   

      

             

RIDLEY-THOMAS STATEMENT ON VOTERS REJECTION

OF BALLOT MEASURES TO EASE STATE BUDGET

 

 

“Now that voters have rejected a slate of ballot measures designed to ease the California budget crisis, Los Angeles County and other local governments should have their guard up because of the rumored raid by the state on their treasuries.

 

Certainly voters were not saying they wanted to dramatically scale back public services. What they rejected were a patchwork of measures cobbled together by the Legislature and the Governor as a compromise to keep state government operating during the most serious economic crisis in modern times.

 

Although Los Angeles County has been prudent over the year, contributing to reserves when the local economy and real estate market were strong, we still find ourselves subject to partisan-driven uncertainty.

 

The state’s proposed programmatic reductions and borrowing from local governments will result in a major strain on County resources. The borrowing of property taxes, one of the primary sources of countywide revenue, and the proposed reductions come at an extremely difficult time when the County is experiencing significant increases in demand for all of its core services. As we move through the budget process, I will fight to ensure that this crisis does not decimate public health care, social services, public safety, libraries, and parks.

 

It is my intent, starting today, to begin working on an effort to change the two-thirds vote requirement in the Legislature to pass the state budget that is the main cause of this turmoil.”

 

 

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